The Commissioner
Ms Zahida Manzoor CBE was appointed as the first Legal Services Complaints Commissioner on 23 February 2004. She is also the Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales. She is not a lawyer and is completely independent of the legal profession.
Previous roles include Regional Chair of the NHS Executive in the Northern and Yorkshire Regions and Deputy Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality. She became a member of the Home Secretary's Advisory Panel on Race Relations for the Home Office in May 2004 and is currently Patron of Bradnet (formerly known as the Asian Disability Network).
Director of Operations
Les Courtnell leads the staff of the office and is responsible for the quality and direction of the work they do.
Research and Investigations and Policy and Performance Team
This team collects detailed information and provides independent assurance about the accuracy and quality of information supplied by the Law Society and others. It examines flows of cases through the complaints system, gathers data and identifies trends. It helps assess the Law Society's performance in handling complaints and what targets should be set. It works with the Law Society to produce effective and efficient handling of complaints.
Strategic Policy and Corporate Services Team
This team is responsible for internal and external communications, the internal performance and financial management of our office and for delivering directly, or indirectly, services such as human resources, training, accounting, accommodation and information technology.
Useful links
Access to Justice Act 1999 
