BBRS bolsters ranks with deputy chief adjudicator hire

Sally Berlin joins from the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), where she was an executive board member and the director of casework operations.

The CCRC is the independent public body set up to review possible miscarriages of justice and which decides whether potentially unsafe convictions should be referred to one of the UK’s courts of criminal appeal.

As deputy chief adjudicator, Ms Berlin will work alongside chief adjudicator Alexandra Marks and is the first person to hold the role of deputy.

Following an early career in environmental health, Ms Berlin joined the CCRC in 2000, after qualifying as a barrister.

She has also been a member of a Cabinet Office appeal panel since 2017. The panel provides an independent avenue of appeal for civil service staff and contractors who wish to contest the refusal or withdrawal of security clearance.

The independent BBRS went live in mid-February with a brief to resolve outstanding historical and contemporary complaints from larger SMEs about their banks.

“Sally Berlin’s sustained track record at the Criminal Cases Review Commission demonstrates a rigour and intellectual discipline that will be a tremendous asset to us here at the BBRS," Ms Marks said of Ms Berlin's appointment.

“Working with absolute integrity and independence are essential features of the Commission and will be equally important at the BBRS. I am delighted that she is joining us so soon after our launch, thus enabling us to accelerate the pace of engagement with those who want to use our service.”