The Law Commission
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Cite as: [2003] EWLC 288(10)
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PART X
STAFF AND RESOURCES
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*Public Law is Referred to as Housing and Administrative Justice in Part VI
10.1 The expertise and dedication of all the Commission's staff is much appreciated by the Commissioners. In the usual way, several members of staff moved on for the sake of career development during the period of this Report. We are grateful for their work and for their contribution to the team effort. The names of all the staff are set out at the beginning of Parts IV to VIII above, or in Appendix E.Staff
10.2 The Quinquennial Review found that the Law Commission had developed imaginative and successful recruitment policies that fitted its needs well. Staff in general liked their work and found the Commission to be an agreeable and friendly place in which to work. This has been a period of some stability. When posts are open to non-civil servants, vacancies are advertised on the Commission's website with brochures and application forms available there for downloading. We welcome loans, secondments and short-term appointments as well as permanent appointments.(a) Recruitment and Working Patterns
10.3 The main legal staff are barristers or solicitors from a wide variety of professional backgrounds, including academia, private practice and public service. They are usually recruited through public advertisements.(b) Legal Staff
10.4 We welcome those who have come to work here over the last year: Matthew Jolley became team manager of the Property and Trust Law Team in November 2003; and Dr Joanna Perkins joined the Common Law and Commercial Law team in October.
10.5 Lawyers who left the Commission between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2004 were:
Hugh Boileau (on loan to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel);
Catherine Button (an Australian lawyer who returned to Australia);
Philippa Draper (on her return to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister);
Christina Hughes (on loan to the Crown Prosecution Service);
Angela Mouton (who had been working temporarily on Compulsory Purchase Order law);
Jacques Parry (who transferred permanently to the Treasury Solicitor's Office);
Michael Sayers (our former Secretary/Chief Executive);
Melanie Smith (a New Zealand lawyer on loan to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport);
10.6 The draftsmen who prepare the draft Bills attached to our law reform reports, and who also undertake the consolidation of existing legislation, are seconded to the Law Commission from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. We are very grateful to them all for their expertise and hard work, but would particularly make mention of Chris Packer and Jessica de Mounteney (who joined us in this period) and Mark Hudson (who returned to the Parliamentary Counsel's office).Matthew Waddington (an academic lawyer who, after secondment to the Commission, accepted a post in the Ministry of Defence in Cyprus).
10.7 Each year a dozen or so well-qualified graduates are recruited to assist us with research, drafting and creative thinking. They generally spend a year at the Commission before moving on to the next stage of their legal training and career. The selection process is an extremely thorough one and the Commission seeks to attract a diverse range of candidates at university law fairs and through contact with careers advisers, as well as through advertisements in a wide variety of newspapers and journals. For a number of former Research Assistants, their work at the Commission has been a rung on the ladder to a highly successful career. The Commission recognises the contribution they make, not least through their enthusiastic commitment to the work of law reform and their lively participation in debate. The following Research Assistants left the Commission in the last twelve months:(c) Research Assistants
Daniel Clarke Neil Cobb Ben Dean Lee Farrington
Amy Goymour Ben Griffiths Lowri Griffiths Zoe Leventhal
Philomena McFadden Neil Martin Jennifer Platt Nerisha Singh
Tamsin Stubbing
We would like to record our gratitude to them and wish them well in their future careers in chambers, or firms of solicitors and elsewhere.
10.8 The Commission has continued to benefit from the experience, expertise and commitment of its small Corporate Service Team (CST) of administrative staff, led by Chris Porter. The services the team provide include accommodation, health and safety, human resources, information technology, programme management, publishing (including electronic publishing), records management, resource accounting, secretarial assistance and security. Without these services the Commission would have been unable to function effectively and smoothly.(d) Corporate Service Team
10.9 The Quinquennial Review (QQR) of the Law Commission, reporting in March 2003, recognised the need for the Secretary and the Lord Chancellor's Department (LCD) to initiate a review of the resources needed in the CST to meet current and foreseeable expectations, including related skills and expertise. A review of those resources has taken place in the period of this Report. Implementation of the changes will take place during the early part of 2004/05.
10.10 The CST values the help available to them from colleagues in the DCA, in particular from the Civil Law and Justice Division and the Human Resources Directorate. The CST is also very grateful to the Facilities and Departmental Security Division.
10.11 Two members of the team (Francesca Hammond from the Registry and Vicky Smith, Trainee Librarian) moved on to new jobs in the last year, with their colleagues' good wishes for their future success.
10.12 Our library service continues to provide a vital information service in support of the legal work of the Commission. We make use, reciprocally, of a number of other libraries in our work and particular thanks are due to the libraries of the Supreme Court, the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Our library makes full use of the Internet and other electronic services and databases; where possible, these are also made available via each individual desktop PC. In addition, a large collection of printed sources is available for research. Our library staff also provide training and advice in all areas of legal information research. In co-operation with the Department for Constitutional Affairs our library also provides a one-year library trainee programme for graduates intending to pursue a professional library and information studies course.(e) Library
10.13 We have a wide variety of work/life balance arrangements in place where possible, such as home-working and working compressed hours.
10.14 Information on resources can be found in Appendix F.Resources
(Signed) ROGER TOULSON, Chairman
HUGH BEALE
STUART BRIDGE
MARTIN PARTINGTON
ALAN WILKIE
STEVE HUMPHREYS, Chief Executive
15 June 2004
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