In a GOV.UK announcement, the Ministry of Justice said Ruth Evans has been appointed chair of the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board, with the term beginning on 1 September and lasting three years. She becomes the board’s second chair. The department describes the post as providing independent leadership and strategic direction to CLAAB. The chair also advises the Lord Chancellor on how criminal legal aid schemes operate and how they may need to change over time, with the stated aim of supporting a high-performing justice system.
That remit places the chair close to an important part of justice system governance. According to the Ministry of Justice, the role includes steering discussion on market sustainability, data needs and the effect of policy changes, while also overseeing reports and recommendations and representing the board externally. For legal aid providers and policy officials, the appointment matters because CLAAB is one of the formal points at which operational evidence and sector concerns can be brought together before advice reaches ministers.
Evans succeeds HH Deborah Taylor, who led the board from 2023 to 2026. The handover comes at a point when criminal legal aid policy continues to depend on provider capacity, the quality of official evidence and the practical effect of reform decisions. The government said Evans brings 40 years of experience in public and consumer interest work. She is the founding chair of Stop Scams UK and has previously chaired the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the Bar Standards Board and the Authority for Television on Demand.
The Ministry of Justice also pointed to Evans’ non-executive experience across oversight and enforcement bodies. Her previous posts have included the National Audit Office, the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Serious Fraud Office. Those roles are directly relevant to a board whose work depends on scrutiny, evidence handling and public accountability. In policy terms, the appointment signals continuity in the board’s advisory function rather than a change to its formal purpose.
CLAAB was first established in October 2022 and meets quarterly. The current membership, as set out by the department, includes representatives from the Bar Council, the Law Society of England and Wales, the Criminal Bar Association, the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association, the Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association, CILEX, Young Legal Aid Lawyers, the Young Barrister Committee, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Legal Aid Agency and Ministry of Justice officials. The structure is intended to bring together representative bodies, delivery agencies and government in a single advisory forum. The chair’s task is therefore not simply presentational; it includes keeping the board’s work disciplined, evidence-led and capable of producing usable advice.
The Ministry of Justice said it welcomed the experience Evans brings and expects CLAAB to continue its work to support and improve criminal legal aid. That wording is measured, but the practical point is that the board remains part of the machinery through which ministers receive structured advice on scheme design and performance. For readers tracking justice policy, this is an appointment with a defined policy function rather than a ceremonial change. Over the next three years, the chair will sit at the point where provider concerns, official data and reform proposals are brought into a single advisory process.