Supporting solicitors
Your Law Society - Summer 2009
Highlights from the review
- Our responsibility to our members
- Supporting legal businesses in challenging times
- Supporting the delivery of legal services
- Developing new markets and opportunities
- Representing the profession
- Defending legal aid
- Promoting the profession
- Delivering equality and diversity
- Corporate responsibility
- Transforming the Law Society
Download our full review (PDF, 555kb)
Read the annual report and accounts for 2008
Our responsibility to our members - Robert Heslett, president
In turbulent times, the Law Society has more of an obligation than ever to live up to its promise of supporting solicitors.
Over the next twelve months the Society will focus on three areas in particular:
- Securing a proportionate regulatory system
- Creating services to meet members' needs
- Promoting solicitors as true professionals
Supporting legal businesses in challenging times
During the last year the Law Society has supported solicitors by:
- Negotiating with the banks and HMRC to mitigate the impact of the downturn
- Smoothing the PII renewal process
- Providing guidance on the banking crisis and client accounts
- Supporting conveyancing solicitors
- Holding events and providing guidance
Supporting the delivery of legal services
The Law Society launched two new special interest groups - the Lawyers with Disabilities Division and the Competition Section.
We issued new practice notes on disputed wills, virtual courts and many other key areas.
Our Pastoral Care, Lawyerline, Practice Advice Service and Junior Lawyers Division helplines answered tens of thousands of enquiries.
We ran over 200 national and regional conferences, workshops and seminars and careers events.
We worked with Regional Development Agencies and Business Links to secure funding support for training and consultation for solicitors at local level.
Developing new markets and opportunities
We led our first legal services trade delegation to the Gulf state of Qatar. Other recent trade missions included Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana and France.
We provided training to solicitors working overseas.
Our International Division signed up its hundredth member, who is now receiving support in attracting international business.
Representing the profession
The Law Society has led the debate about how the new regulatory framework should be shaped to enable legal businesses to thrive.
We responded to initiatives from the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Complaints Service, including proposals on the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Regulations and on publishing findings against firms.
We continued to lobby for better laws in areas including crime, wills and probate, family and public law and employment.
Through our International Action Team pro bono lawyers and law students contributed to human rights activities around the globe.
Defending legal aid
The Law Society responded vigorously to Legal Services Commission proposals to introduce best value tendering into criminal legal aid procurement, and we have secured very significant concessions.
Following Law Society objections the Ministry of Justice changed plans that would have given judges inappropriate powers to deal with delay in very high cost cases.
On family legal aid funding from 2010, following Law Society lobbying the Legal Services Commission agreed to extend the help it provides to firms on individual impact assessments.
We are conducting a review of the provision of publicly funded criminal and civil legal services in England and Wales which will seek to maintain solicitors' roles as crucial providers of legal advice and representation.
Promoting the profession
The Law Society's Excellence Awards 2008 attracted entries of exceptional calibre, demonstrating quality, innovation and commitment. The 2009 scheme looks set to be even bigger and better.
The 'find a solicitor' search function on our website received a monthly average of more than 58,000 visitors, driving new business to solicitors' firms.
Our jurisdiction of choice campaign continued to promote the benefits of resolving disputes in England and Wales to in-house counsel around the world.
We are working with the Judicial Appointments Commission to identify the obstacles that prevent solicitors applying for appointment.
Delivering equality and diversity
The Society has an important responsibility to support the profession in its efforts to reflect the society it serves and to achieve an approach to inclusion that meets the expectations of solicitors and their clients today.
We launched the Diversity and Inclusion Charter as the bedrock of our work with legal practices.
We are working with representatives of women and BME solicitors particularly to look at how we can ensure a level playing field for entry to the profession and progression within it, and have recently published a study of the career experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual solicitors.
Corporate responsibility
The Law Society supports solicitors to go greener through the Legal Sector Alliance (LSA). The LSA, which now has more than 100 members representing over 20 per cent of solicitors in private practice in England and Wales, provides practical and tailored tools and resources.
Whether through pro bono work, school governorships or helping pupils to understand their legal rights, we promote and support the contributions of solicitors to their communities.
Through the Law Society Charity the solicitors' profession provides essential funding support to many hundreds of projects that exist to further law and justice.
Transforming the Law Society - Des Hudson, chief executive
The Law Society continues to transform itself into an organisation which operates according to clear business principles, and is now more efficient and effective than ever.
I have restructured the business to enhance its commercial outlook and potential, taking advantage of opportunities to rationalise and streamline operations.
Our energies remain fully focused on our members. Our ongoing work to help the profession during the economic downturn illustrates how the Law Society's unique position enables it to support solicitors comprehensively.