Ruth Evans will begin a three-year term as Chair of the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board in September
The Ministry of Justice has announced the appointment of Ruth Evans as the new Chair of the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board (CLAAB), with her three-year term due to begin on 1 September 2026.
Evans becomes the second chair of the Board, succeeding HH Deborah Taylor, who led CLAAB from 2023 to 2026.
The Chair provides independent leadership and strategic direction to the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board. The role includes advising the Lord Chancellor on the operation and future development of criminal legal aid schemes, helping to ensure they are structured to support a high-performing justice system.
For solicitors and criminal legal aid providers, the appointment is significant because the Board advises on matters affecting the operation and future direction of criminal legal aid. According to the Ministry of Justice, the Chair oversees discussions on market sustainability, data requirements and the impact of policy changes. The role also includes overseeing the Board’s reports and recommendations, while representing CLAAB externally.
The appointment places Evans at the centre of the Board’s work in providing independent advice on criminal legal aid policy and its continued development.
Evans brings four decades of experience representing public and consumer interests. The Ministry of Justice said she has spent 40 years championing those interests across a range of public bodies and regulatory organisations.
She is the Founding Chair of Stop Scams UK and has chaired several public interest organisations during her career. These include the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the Bar Standards Board and the Authority for Television on Demand.
In addition to those positions, Evans has served as a non-Executive Director at the National Audit Office, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Serious Fraud Office.
The Ministry of Justice said it welcomes the experience Evans brings to the position and looks forward to the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board continuing its work to support and improve criminal legal aid.
The announcement confirms that Evans’ tenure will commence on 1 September 2026 and will run for three years.