LSB appoints new chair to oversee the Legal Ombudsman scheme following the end of Elisabeth Davies’ six-year term
The Legal Services Board has appointed Richard Blakeway as chair of the Office for Legal Complaints, the body responsible for overseeing the Legal Ombudsman.
Richard was appointed as Housing Ombudsman in 2019 and is former chair of the Ombudsman Association. He has led major changes at the service following the devastating events at Grenfell Tower, including an expansion of its role and powers as part of wider regulatory reform. Previously, Richard was chair of the Homes for London board and appointed Deputy Mayor for Housing when investment and land regeneration powers were devolved to the Greater London Authority.
Mr Blakeway succeeds Elisabeth Davies, whose six-year term ended on 31 March 2026, following a recruitment process that included pre-appointment scrutiny by the House of Commons Justice Select Committee and approval by Sarah Sackman.
The LSB said Mr Blakeway has been tasked with overseeing the continued transformation of the Legal Ombudsman scheme to ensure it delivers effective redress for consumers and makes better use of complaint-handling intelligence to improve standards across the legal sector.
Richard Blakeway said: “Ombudsman services make a massive difference to lives every day. And their impact can go far wider than individual cases.
“The Legal Ombudsman is central to building trust and confidence in legal services.
“I am excited to be joining the OLC as its new chair at such an important moment in the Legal Ombudsman’s development. The service needs to transform in response to new challenges and ensure it has a wider impact by sharing insights across the legal sector to raise standards and strengthen complaint handling.
“I want to build on the strong progress already made. The commitment and professionalism I’ve already seen across the organisation gives me real confidence about what we can achieve.”
Separately, the LSB also confirmed the appointment of Owen Purcell to the OLC board following the departure of Patricia Tueje earlier this year.