A former telecoms chief has been chosen as the first regulator of the legal profession.

David Edmonds, who spent five years as Director General of Telecommunications at Oftel and then two years on the board of Ofcom, will be the first chairman of the new Legal Services Board.

Mr Edmonds, 64, takes up his three-year post on May 1. The job was created as part of the reforms of the Legal Services Act 2007 which puts in place a new arch-regular over the legal profession and its current complaints procedures.

The Act creates a new Office for Legal Complaints which will administer an ombudsman scheme to deal with all consumer complaints about legal services.

It also paves the way for lawyers to set up in partnership with other professionals and to be owned or take investment from outside companies or individuals.

The board, which is independent from both Government and the legal profession, is a public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. It will become fully operational in early 2010.

Mr Edmonds' appointment was made by Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers.

Mr Edmonds was initially a career civil servant, including a post as private secretary to Sir Ian Bancroft, later Lord Bancroft. He was permanent secretary at the Department of the Environment and rose to be Under Secretary for the Inner Cities Directorate.

He spent seven years, from 1984 to 1991, as chief executive of the Housing Corporation, during which time he was an architect of the Housing Act 1988 which radically reformed housing association finance.

He then spent the next seven years as a managing director with the NatWest Group with responsibility for the development, operation and management of the group's £2.8 billion property portfolio.

His regulatory experience includes five years as Director General of Telecommunications and two years as a founding member of the board of Ofcom. He is currently chairman of the board of NHS Direct.

Within legal services, he has served for four years as a commissioner on the Legal Services Commission.

Mr Edmonds was educated at Helsby County Grammar School, Chesire and the University of Keele. He enjoys opera, theatre, art, travel, mountain walking and running and golf.

Yesterday the Law Society, Bar Council and other groups welcomed the appointment.

Andrew Holroyd, president of the Law Society, said: "We look forward to working with David Edmonds to help ensure that the regulatory environment enables high quality legal servies to flourish for the benefit of the public and the profession."

Tim Dutton, QC, chairman of the Bar Council, said: "We are committed at the Bar to the regulatory objectives and professional principles contained in the Legal Services Act and to providing high quality advocacy and advisory services, through a well-regulated and independent profession."

Mr Straw said: "The aims of the organistion are clear: to put the consumer first and to promote competition, innovation and transparency.

"As first chair, Mr Edmonds willl take the lead in setting the strategic direction of the Board to ensure that these aims are met."

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) also welcomed the appointment as "an important milestone in the implementation of the Legal Services Act".

Ruth Evans, BSB Chair said: 'The BSB looks forward to working constructively with Mr Edmonds and the Legal Services Board in implementing the new regulatory framework for legal services, and ensuring that the new arrangements deliver a dynamic and invigorated legal services market for consumers and the profession alike."

Mark McLaren, Public Affairs Advisor at Which?, said that the appointment was "very good news" and the "first concrete step oni the long road to a new modern legal services regulatory environment which puts consumers first".

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