The Legal Services Board (LSB) today announces the appointment of Liz Coll and Adhir Ramdarshan to the Legal Services Consumer Panel (the Consumer Panel).Liz Coll will take up appointment from 1 January 2024 for an initial three-year term. Liz replaces Mark McLaren, whose second three-year term of office ends on 31 December 2023.
Adhir Ramdarshan will take up appointment from 1 April 2024 for an initial three-year term. He replaces Adam Cooper, whose second three-year term of office ends on 31 March 2024.
Chair of the Legal Services Board, Alan Kershaw, said:
‘I would like to congratulate Liz and Adhir on their appointments. Their diverse range of experience across a range of sectors will add significant value to the vital work of the Consumer Panel.
‘I would also like to thank Adam and Mark for their invaluable contribution to the Consumer Panel over the last six years and wish them all the best.’
Chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel, Sarah Chambers, said:
‘Mark and Adam have played a critical role in the development of the Panel over the last six years and I am very sorry that their terms are coming to an end. But I know that Liz and Adhir will bring an array of useful skills and experience to the Panel, and I look forward to welcoming them on board. There is a lot of important work to do.’
Liz Coll said:
‘I’m delighted to have this opportunity to help make sure legal services work as well for consumers as they do for providers. I’m looking forward to using my knowledge of consumers’ experience in digital service delivery to think through some of the opportunities and challenges people may face as the use of technology in legal services grows.’
Adhir Ramdarshan said:
‘The work of the LSCP has shown that there is a real and urgent need to improve access to legal services for vulnerable consumers who for all sorts of reasons are poorly served by traditional providers. The next three years will be critical in finding ways to tackle the problems facing them in securing affordable, high-quality services and give greater confidence to small businesses in this sector. I am exceptionally proud to be appointed to the Consumer Panel, with its range of experienced members, and lo
ok forward to adding my regulatory expertise to drive this important agenda forward.’
Notes for editors:
- The Legal Services Act 2007 (the Act) required the LSB to establish a Consumer Panel to represent the interests of consumers. Members are appointed by the LSB with the approval of the Lord Chancellor.
- Liz Coll is a consumer policy expert and founder of Connected Consumers, where she has established projects on the use of technology in consumer law enforcement, digital rights, and generative AI. Liz established the first global digital programme at Consumers International and led digital consumer policy work at Citizens Advice and at Consumer Futures. She has been certified to represent UK consumers in a class action against overcharges in Google’s Play Store.
- Adhir Ramdarshan is an experienced regulation and compliance professional with close to 10 years of senior leadership and delivery across the public and private sectors. Adhir currently acts as the Director of Regulation for Smart DCC Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Capita plc. Between 2017 and 2022, he served as the Deputy Director of Regulation at Royal Mail, responsible for leading its UK regulatory strategy and policy. Before that, Adhir held a range of roles at Ofgem alongside a secondment at the ACCC – Australia’s competition regulator and national consumer law champion.
- The roles each carry a non-pensionable remuneration of £4,500 for at least 15 days’ work per year.
- Details of other members of the Consumer Panel can be found here.
- These appointments were made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.