The Law Society Council has elected Andrew Caplen, a consultant
with Abels Solicitors, Southampton to be the next deputy vice
president of the Law Society. Andrew will take up the role in July
2012.
Andrew, who has been a Council member since 2000, is due to
become president of the Law Society in 2014. He is chair of the Law
Society's Management Board and co-chairs the Business Oversight
Board.
As chair of the Access to Justice Committee, he co-wrote and
co-edited the Access to Justice Review which underpinned the recent
'Sound Off for Justice' campaign and sought to improve the
government's Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders
Bill, now nearing the end of its parliamentary passage.
Andrew said: 'It is a tremendous honour and a weighty
responsibility to have been chosen by my peers to serve in this
way.
'We are in an era of change for legal services, with increasing
competition, new models of business ownership and reduced public
funding for legal aid. Working with the Council, with management
and staff, I aim to ensure that the Law Society continues to
support its members as they overcome the challenges and make the
most of opportunities which arise from these changes.'
Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson said: 'May I
congratulate all of the candidates who stood in the election. They
presented a set of strong choices to Council.
'Andrew has already made a considerable contribution to the
Society through more than a decade on the Council and involvement
in some of its most prominent boards and committees. The management
team and staff look forward to continuing to work with him in his
new capacity.'