Chief legal ombudsman resigns over expenses row

Adam Sampson maintains he has not been dishonest and his integrity is intact

The chief legal ombudsman Adam Sampson has resigned following an investigation into governance issues which led to a suspension by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

The issues were over Sampson's travel expenses, which are reported to have been around £20,000 over five years. Despite the Legal Ombudsman's (LeO) accounts being signed off by the National Audit Office (NAO) for the past four years, the NAO has now described the arrangement as "novel and contentious" because Sampson is said to have claimed for travel from home to work and back again.

An independent report was made by City law firm Simmons & Simmons to investigate LeO's accounts. Sampson, who lives in London but worked out of Leo's Birmingham offices, denies all wrongdoing.

He told Legal Futures: "I have resigned because although it is clear from the independent report and all the scrutiny of my expenses claims that I have not been dishonest and my integrity is intact, an ombudsman must be a figure above controversy.

"I do not want issues around LeO's accounts to distract from the tremendous work the organisation does," he added.

Lawyers were divided on their reaction to Sampson's resignation; Greg Treverton-Jones QC of 39 Essex Street tweeted: "Sorry to see Adam Sampson go as Legal Ombudsman. He was a breath of fresh air, and a very skilled platform speaker."

Kerry Underwood however, senior partner at Underwoods Solicitors tweeted it was "Great news!" and "Good riddance. Your ex orginsation is dreadful."

He added in a subsequent tweet: "[I] can safely say that Adam Sampson's resignation as Legal Services Ombudsman will bring joy to every lawyer in the land. Now scrap the post."

Sampson worked for five years in the role. Permanent secretary of the MoJ, Ursula Brennan, has temporarily taken up the post.