The Law Society has announced plans to streamline its executive leadership structure to ‘enable the organisation to strengthen its service provision’.

Chancery Lane is creating three new senior roles that will be accountable for its representation work, professional services and internal operations.

The roles - chief of corporate affairs; chief of commercial affairs; and director of organisation services - will form an executive board with, and chaired by, chief executive Desmond Hudson. This board will replace the Society’s existing executive management team of seven.

The director of organisation services will be responsible for the shared internal functions that support the business of the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

The roles of two directors are immediately affected by the change: Steve Jeffree, operations director and group CIO; and Stephen Ward, director of communications. They will leave the organisation on 31 December.

Hudson said: ‘This is a time of unprecedented change for the legal profession and the Law Society is committed to providing the exemplary support that our members will need for the future.

‘Our vision is to be the leading representative of the world’s best legal profession, valued as a vital partner by all we serve and engage with. To help achieve it we are streamlining our executive leadership structure and bringing new skills into the organisation.’

Search agencies have been appointed to recruit permanent candidates for all three new positions.