New Chief Executive named at The Law Society of Scotland

General Counsel, Executive Director and dual-qualified solicitor Ben Kemp has been appointed to become the new Chief Executive Officer of the Law Society of Scotland.

Mr Kemp will join the Law Society in August from the professional body which represents and regulates actuaries, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), where he has worked primarily as General Counsel and Executive Director, with a recent 15-month tenure as interim CEO.

A University of Edinburgh LLB graduate, Mr Kemp qualified as a Scottish solicitor in 2001 and has worked in private practice in both Scotland and London, before moving in-house to the IFoA in 2012.

Law Society of Scotland President Susan Murray said: “We are delighted that Ben will be joining the Law Society in the coming months as our new CEO. This follows a comprehensive and exacting recruitment process.

“Ben stood out from a strong field of candidates as the right person to lead and develop the Society, as well as support the wider Scottish solicitor profession and the people it serves. He is joining us at an exciting time as we prepare for generational reforms around regulation and as the legal sector embraces technological and cultural change.

“We were impressed with Ben’s wide experience of the legal sector and his approach towards leading a membership organisation, alongside his commitment to working collaboratively with our members, our Society colleagues and our key stakeholders, to navigate challenges, embrace opportunities and represent the profession.”

Ben Kemp said: “I am excited and privileged to be joining the Law Society of Scotland later this year. As a longstanding member, becoming chief executive presents a tremendous opportunity to support and contribute to the Law Society’s important work.

“We’re at a pivotal moment for Scotland’s legal sector and I plan to hit the ground running once in post, with a focus on long awaited reforms to how legal services are regulated and on supporting Law Society members in their work and advocating on the issues that matter to them.”

Kevin Lang will continue as Law Society interim CEO in preparation for an ordered transition to Mr Kemp, following the departure of previous Chief Executive Diane McGiffen last month.