Legal aid solicitors wait for word from new LSC chief

Legal aid solicitors wait for word from new LSC chief

Legal aid solicitors are waiting to see what changes are in store, following the announcement that the Legal Services Commission (LSC) has appointed a new chief executive.

Clare Dodgson, currently chief operating officer at Jobcentre Plus at the Department for Work and Pensions, will take over from Steve Orchard, who retires this year after 14 years in the legal aid arena.

Her starting date has yet to be decided.

Ms Dodgson's career began in the health service, culminating in her role as chief executive of Sunderland Health Authority before she moved to the employment service in 1999.

Ms Dodgson, who is 40, said she welcomed the challenge of implementing reforms that would make a real difference on the ground.

'I look forward to working with all the LSC's stakeholders - and especially the legal profession - to make sure that they do,' she added.

She will be paid in a Civil Service pay band that ranges from 91,000 to 193,000.

Paula Rohan