The director of the National Lottery Charities Board has been appointed chief executive of the Law Society in what has been described as "the last chance saloon" for Chancery Lane.
Janet Paraskeva takes up the £120,000-a-year post on 1 October. She is understood to have been selected from about 60 applicants.
The new role was approved by the Law Society council last December as part of its corporate governance reforms.
Current secretary-general Jane Betts announced earlier this week that she will be leaving Chancery Lane at the end of the month.
Contenders for the post also included Paul Gilbert, former head of legal at United Assurance and ex-chair of the Commerce & Industry group. In a significant snub by Chancery Lane, Gilbert was not offered an interview.
He said: "If the person has the vision and the passion for the profession she will have my support. The Law Society has had so many drinks at the last chance saloon that it is in danger of being drunk and incapable. This is its last chance."
Paraskeva, who does not have a legal background, joined the National Lottery Charities Board in 1995. Before that she spent four years as chief executive of the National Youth Agency.
She said: "The outcome of the reform process must be a Law Society that leads the solicitors' profession effectively and with restored credibility as a regulator and representative body."