Former Simmons & Simmons senior partner Dame Janet Gaymer is to play a key role in the fundamental overhaul of legal education and training being carried out by the three biggest legal regulators in England and Wales.

Gaymer (pictured) has been appointed alongside former Court of Appeal judge Sir Mark Potter to chair a consultation panel which will advise on the wholesale review of legal training and education.

The UK Centre of Legal Education (UKCLE) will conduct independent research on the overhaul, dubbed "Review 2020″, which is a joint project between the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Institute of Legal Executives Professional Standards (IPS).

The review, announced last autumn, is intended to take into account future demands on legal services and the changes that will shape the market while ensuring ethical and competence standards are maintained.

Gaymer and Potter, now an arbitrator with Fountain Court, will be joined on the consultation panel by representatives from key stakeholder groups such as law firms and universities, with the panel to meet formally up to four times a year during the review period.

The UKCLE's research will look at the educational requirements for entering the profession, the requirements for continuing education for practitioners and the requirements placed on the law schools and those delivering the education to individuals and entities.

SRA chairman Charles Plant said: "It was most important that we attracted the right people to lead the consultation with stakeholders. Dame Janet and Sir Mark have a vast experience both through the practice of law and in issues related to legal education and training."

BSB chairwoman Baroness Deech added: "We are confident that Dame Janet and Sir Mark will work tirelessly to ensure that the review has a solid overarching framework and will be based on sound research."

The UKCLE research team includes UKCLE director and law professor at Warwick University Julian Webb, as well as Avrom Sherr, a professor of legal education at the University of London. It will also include law professors Dr Jane Ching and Paul Maharg, from Nottingham and Northumbria law schools respectively.

The team will draw on the expertise of several consultants including Dr Chris Decker of the Regulatory Policy Institute, professor Rob Wilson of the Institute for Employment Research, as well as legal consultant Richard Susskind.

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