
Ben Kemp appointed as new Law Society of Scotland CEO
He qualified as a Scottish solicitor in 2001 and has worked in private practice in both Scotland and London.
Law Society of Scotland President Susan Murray said: 'We are delighted that Ben will be joining the Law Society in the coming months as our new CEO. This follows a comprehensive and exacting recruitment process.
'Ben stood out from a strong field of candidates as the right person to lead and develop the Society, as well as support the wider Scottish solicitor profession and the people it serves. He is joining us at an exciting time as we prepare for generational reforms around regulation and as the legal sector embraces technological and cultural change.
Read More
'We were impressed with Ben's wide experience of the legal sector and his approach towards leading a membership organisation, alongside his commitment to working collaboratively with our members, our Society colleagues and our key stakeholders, to navigate challenges, embrace opportunities and represent the profession.
Ben Kemp said: 'I am excited and privileged to be joining the Law Society of Scotland later this year. As a longstanding member, becoming chief executive presents a tremendous opportunity to support and contribute to the Law Society's important work.
'We're at a pivotal moment for Scotland's legal sector and I plan to hit the ground running once in post, with a focus on long awaited reforms to how legal services are regulated and on supporting Law Society members in their work and advocating on the issues that matter to them.'
Kevin Lang will continue as Law Society interim CEO in preparation for an ordered transition to Mr Kemp, following the departure of previous Chief Executive Diane McGiffen last month.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Spectator
23 minutes ago
- Spectator
Portrait of the week: Spending review, LA protests and Greta Thunberg deported
Home Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, was the last minister to agree funding in the government spending review. Once the NHS and defence were settled there wasn't enough to go round. The police wanted more. Everyone over the state pension age in England and Wales with an income of £35,000 or less will receive the winter fuel payment after all, at a cost of £1.25 billion, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced. Capital spending included £39 billion on social housing over the next ten years. The government also committed £14.2 billion for the new Sizewell C nuclear power station, but did not say where the money was coming from. Rolls-Royce was selected as the preferred bidder to build the country's first small modular reactors. Unemployment rose to 4.6 per cent, its highest level since 2021, up from 4.5 per cent. Any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from September 2026, adding 500,000 to the scheme. Teachers in England can use artificial intelligence to mark homework, under government guidance. The NHS said that a blood shortage required an increase of donors from 800,000 to a million. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, announced sanctions against two Israeli ministers over comments which 'incited extremist violence', banning them from entering Britain. Zia Yusuf resigned as the chairman of Reform UK. He had criticised Sarah Pochin, the party's new MP, for urging Sir Keir Starmer to back a burqa ban, saying: 'I do think it's dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn't do.' Two days later he returned to the party in a role with the so-called Doge UK team, seeking savings in council spending. Labour won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election for the Scottish parliament with 8,559 votes, ahead of the SNP's 7,957 and Reform's 7,088. There was rioting in Ballymena after an alleged sexual assault by two teenage Romanian-speaking boys. An audit commissioned by the secretary general of Unite found that there had been a 'pervasive fraud environment' in the union, which spent £112 million on building a hotel in Birmingham, losing £53.8 million. Last week Unite members voted to continue the dustmen's strike in Birmingham, which began on 11 March. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, agreed with US warnings against a new Chinese embassy at the former Royal Mint site on Tower Hill, fearing espionage. Marks and Spencer began taking online orders for home delivery again, six weeks after a cyber attack. Peter Easterby, the only racehorse trainer to have sent out more than 1,000 winners both over jumps and on the flat, died aged 95. Novelist Frederick Forsyth died aged 86. Abroad About 2,000 National Guard troops were deployed in Los Angeles by the federal government, against the wishes of Governor Gavin Newsom of California, to confront violent protests against the migrant deportation policy of President Donald Trump. A curfew was imposed and 700 Marines and 2,000 more National Guard were sent in. Mr Trump said he was 'disappointed' that Elon Musk had called his 'big, beautiful' budget bill a 'disgusting abomination'; Mr Musk complained of the President's 'ingratitude', declaring: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election.' He then tweeted: 'Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files.' He later deleted it. Mr Trump signed a proclamation banning entry for people from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen; a partial ban extended to Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Russia launched an attack with cruise missiles and hundreds of drones on Kyiv and other places in Ukraine; the next night Karkhiv was the target; on another night Kyiv and Odessa. Russia and Ukraine exchanged sick and badly wounded prisoners of war, those aged under 25, and bodies of 12,000 soldiers. Russia's mercenary group Wagner announced it was withdrawing from Mali after four years. A 75ft statue of Lenin in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, was quietly taken down. Eleven were killed in a shooting at a secondary school in the city of Graz in Austria, including the suspect. A yacht carrying Greta Thunberg and 11 others trying to bring aid to Gaza was towed to the port of Ashdod, after being seized by Israel, and she was put on a plane to Paris. CSH


Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Press and Journal
Tories propose emergency law to speed up A9 dualling
Private investment and quicker environmental reviews can help fast-track A9 dualling between Inverness and Perth by up to four years, according to a Tory blueprint backed by an SNP veteran. Russell Findlay's party is plotting an emergency law to ensure upgrades to widen the busy route are finished in the next Scottish Parliament's lifetime – up to May 2031. 'Enough's enough,' he said, speaking exclusively on The Stooshie, the weekly political podcast from the P&J. 'People who use that road realise that the time for excuses is long gone.' The idea has already won the backing of Fergus Ewing, the MSP for Inverness and Nairn and vocal critic of SNP progress on the promised upgrade. 'I welcome this proposal,' Mr Ewing told the Press and Journal. 'The SNP government has plainly broken pledges, and lost trust.' The Conservatives want a portion of the Scottish Government's transport budget to be ringfenced for the dualling scheme to ensure work does not stall. Mr Findlay believes the private sector should be brought in to attract more funding for the road. This would involve using 'infrastructure investment partnerships' with individual businesses, aiming to reduce costs when finding contractors for sections of the project. 'I think that would do a lot to focus the minds of hard-headed investors to get the job done,' he said. The Tories also say environmental impact assessments carried out on each section of the A9 should be 'expedited'. 'We have to respect the impact on the environment of any infrastructure project, but these can take over a year,' Mr Findlay told The Stooshie. The SNP originally promised to complete A9 dualling by this year, but admitted in 2023 that was no longer. A new timetable to finish the project a full decade from now is in place. Laura Hansler, an A9 campaigner from Kincraig, backed the Tory proposals in principle. 'The suggestions are fantastic,' she said. But she warned 'further clarity' is needed over how exactly the emergency law would prevent further delays. The Scottish Greens are opposed. 'Environmental impact assessments are an important legal requirement,' said Mark Ruskell, a party MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife. A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: 'We are fully committed to dualling the A9 and have prioritised funding for this programme within our annual budgets. 'We are also actively considering whether there is any way that we can fast-track work, including opportunities for undertaking 'advance works' ahead of main construction contracts.' Tory leader Mr Findlay spoke to The Stooshie ahead of his party's conference in Edinburgh this weekend. On the latest episode he also told us: You can listen to Mr Findlay's full interview here.


Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Press and Journal
Scotbeef shuts historic Inverurie abattoir
Meat processor Scotbeef has shut its historic abattoir in Inverurie. The owners have cited 'sustained challenges' to the business. They said the closure was necessary to protect the long-term future of Scotbeef. Staff were reportedly told to go home today, with farmers being told their livestock was no longer required. Scotbeef is a subsidiary of East Kilbride-based JW Galloway. Its processing sites manufacture fresh beef, lamb and value-added products for leading UK and international retail markets. Scotbeef also has facilities at two other Scottish locations – East Kilbride and Annan – as well as operations south of the border in Sheffield, Heysham and Wolverhampton. Other sites in Bridge of Allan and Glasgow have been sold by the firm in recent years. It is not known yet how many staff are impacted by the closure in Inverurie, where there has been an abattoir on North Street for about 100 years. Neither Scotbeef nor JW Galloway have responded to our calls. The move follows a steep decline in processing activity at the Aberdeenshire site. In recent times just a few hundred cattle have been processed there some weeks, a fraction of the total capacity. Industry insiders have blamed a price war between processors for putting Scottish abattoirs under severe pressure. In accounts lodged at Companies House earlier this year, Scotbeef said it was facing labour shortages and industry pay rate challenges. Plans for a replacement abattoir in the area have been on hold for years. In 2023, Aberdeenshire councillors backed plans to demolish the existing abattoir to make way for 50 new homes. A previous proposal to build 77 homes on the site was given the go-ahead back in 2019. Now, closure for the existing site would appear to scupper any prospect of the abattoir being relocated to ANM Group's Thainstone Business Park, as was previously proposed. Gordon and Buchan Conservative MP Harriet Cross said: 'This closure is deeply concerning and is a blow to livestock farmers across the north-east. Abattoirs such as that in Inverurie are crucial to the food supply chain and the wider agricultural sector. 'But across the country, they are being driven out of business at an alarming rate by rising costs, regulatory pressures and a drop in livestock numbers. 'There is also an immediate human impact of all this, and my thoughts go out to the employees at Inverurie whose jobs are at risk.' The MP added: 'If both of Scotland's governments are serious about sustainability, rural jobs, and animal welfare, then more support needs to be given to abattoirs so they can survive these unprecedented challenges.'