The Ministry of Justice has appointed Megan Lee-Devlin as chief executive of HM Courts and Tribunals Service, placing a senior transformation official in one of the justice system's main delivery posts. The appointment comes as HMCTS continues a modernisation programme intended to improve how court and tribunal services work for the public, legal professionals and staff. In practical terms, the role sits where policy, operations and reform meet. HMCTS is responsible for the administration of courts and tribunals, so its leadership has direct consequences for service performance and for how easily people can use the justice system when they need it.
According to the government announcement, Lee-Devlin moves into the post from her role as Director General for Justice Services and Transformation at the Ministry of Justice. In that position, she led digital transformation work across prisons, probation and services for victims, giving her experience across several parts of the justice system rather than within a single operational area. The same announcement states that she has also been responsible for the operational delivery of legal aid, lasting powers of attorney and victim compensation. That combination is notable because it brings together reform management with oversight of services that affect users directly, often at points of legal, financial or personal difficulty.
Ministers have presented the appointment as part of the next stage of court reform rather than as a shift in direction. Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services, said in the official statement that courts and tribunals are fundamental to the rule of law and to ensuring access to justice, and that HMCTS needs leadership able to improve public services while supporting staff and the judiciary. Jo Farrar, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, used similar language in the announcement, pointing to Lee-Devlin's record in transformation and service improvement. The departmental message is clear: the priority remains modernisation, but with close attention to operational delivery and the experience of users.
In her own statement, Lee-Devlin said she saw the appointment as a privilege at an important time and that she would work with the independent judiciary, ministers, system partners and the 19,000 civil servants employed by HMCTS. That emphasis matters institutionally, because court reform depends on coordination across judicial leadership, departmental policy teams and frontline administrative services. For court and tribunal users, the main test will be whether modernisation produces simpler and more reliable services rather than change for its own sake. Administrative systems, digital processes and back-office performance all shape how quickly cases move and how accessible the system feels in practice.
The appointment also confirms a change elsewhere in the department's senior leadership. Nick Goodwin, whom Lee-Devlin succeeds, is moving to become Director General for Policy at the Ministry of Justice, linking the HMCTS transition to a wider shift in the department's leadership structure. Before joining the Ministry of Justice, Lee-Devlin served as Director General of the Central Digital and Data Office in the Cabinet Office, where she oversaw the government's Digital, Data and Technology function. Earlier roles at IBM, PwC and McKinsey & Company were likewise focused on digital, analytics and organisational change.
Read as a policy appointment, the decision points to continuity in the government's approach to court reform. The official announcement places heavy weight on Lee-Devlin's experience in digital change, cross-system delivery and user-facing services, suggesting that HMCTS's next phase will be judged on how reform is implemented and whether it improves day-to-day performance. That means the benchmarks are likely to be practical ones: whether services are easier to access, whether administrative processes are more efficient, and whether modernisation supports the work of staff and judges. For a justice system under sustained operational pressure, the significance of this appointment lies in whether institutional reform can be translated into dependable public service delivery.