Follows SRA and LSB bosses quitting roles
Kathryn Stone OBE, chair of the Bar Standards Board (BSB), will step down from her role later this summer to join the Police, Fire and Rescue Inspectorate.
In January 2018, Stone joined the bar regulator as board member, stating she did so with “enormous respect for the barrister profession”. She rose to Chair in the summer of 2022.
Though not a lawyer herself, the vice-chair Andrew Mitchell KC noted she worked to “advance and protect the public interest and the interests of consumers”.
In a leaving statement, said:
“The work of the BSB by its diverse staff is vital to promote high standards, equality and access to justice. As I reflect on my time here, I do so with an increased respect for the profession and the role of its regulator.”
Mitchell KC stated the “board will miss her greatly” and praised “her hard work and wisdom” in a “period of considerable activity, challenge and ongoing reform” by deploying a “potent mix of approachability and charm, with steely determination and resolve.”
Mark Neale, Director General of the BSB, added that Stone “brought the Board together behind an ambitious programme of reform” to build “enduring relationships…inside and outside the barrister profession”.
Stone will join HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, an independent body that evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire services.
Stone’s departure comes just weeks after the announcement that the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority will step down later this year, while the chair of the Legal Services Board resigned, citing personal reasons.