Iain Christie Appointed as Vice-Chair of BSB Independent Decision-Making Body
Chambers is pleased to announce the appointment of Iain Christie, an Associate member of chambers and member of the 4-5 Mediation Group, as the Vice-Chair of the Independent Decision-making Body (IDB) of the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the new non-executive body which will be responsible for taking all of the BSB’s regulatory decisions that require independent input.
The IDB replaces the Professional Conduct Committee with effect from 15 October and most of its decisions will be in relation to whether disciplinary action should be taken where breaches of the professional obligations set out in the BSB Handbook may have occurred. The IDB will also be responsible for taking decisions in relation to appeals against executive decisions not to grant waivers from the BSB Handbook requirements or decisions not to authorise or license a body to provide legal services.
As an office-holder, Iain will be responsible for chairing panel meetings and, with the Chair of the IDB, provide its leadership and manage the pool of 30 barrister and lay panel members.
On taking up his appointment Iain said “I am delighted to have been chosen as part of the leadership team of the new body as the BSB continues to evolve to provide evermore independent regulation of the barristers’ profession. I look forward to working with the Chair of the IDB and the other very experienced panel members to ensure the highest standards of professional conduct at the bar and in the provision of legal services in England and Wales.”
Sara Jagger, Director of Professional Conduct at the BSB, said “I am delighted to welcome Iain Christie as the Vice-Chair of our new Independent Decision-making Body. Iain’s expertise and experience will be of real value to the IDB when it begins its work in October.”
Iain’s appointment is for 3 years from 1 September 2019. It complements his other regulatory positions as Chair of the Conduct and Disciplinary Committee of the Civil Mediation Council and his four year term as Director of IMPRESS, the independent press regulator, which ends on 30 September 2019. In order to take up his appointment for the BSB Iain has stepped down from the Bar Council ADR Panel of which he was Vice-Chair from 2014 to 2019.