President perspectives: Rodger Pannone

During your presidency, what was your biggest highlight?

Finally achieving the implementation of higher rights of audience for solicitors – which allows solicitors to apply to represent clients in senior civil or criminal courts.

It followed more than 20 years of campaigning with former Law Society president Sir Tony Holland and others.

I can still recall the telephone call from the permanent secretary of the lord chancellor’s department saying: “You have got your way at last, Pannone”.

I was a member of the lord chancellor’s Civil Justice Review Committee. We sat for over four years and produced a 181-page report, which was very well-received.

What was the biggest challenge you and the Law Society faced during the year?

The undermining of human rights, access to justice and the attack on legal aid.

One event stands out in my memory, from a human right perspective.

At the invitation of the All China Lawyers Association, I led the first delegation to visit China after the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

It was a 10-day visit, visiting Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai and, due to the circumstances, had a number of challenges.

Image: Rodger Pannone with Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, receiving doctorates.

What was the biggest success during your year?

Again, it has to be the change of status of solicitors following the obtaining of higher rights of audience.

This also enabled solicitors to be appointed as High Court judges for the first time.

As a result, my closest legal friend, Michael Sachs, a one-time Council member and a former president of the Manchester Law Society, was appointed the first solicitor High Court judge.

What was the biggest surprise during the year?

In the days of my presidency, the Law Society had three-day annual conferences.

My conference was in Brighton. My wife and I were going to be some of the first people to stay in the suite at the Grand Hotel Margaret Thatcher had been staying in when it was bombed.

I had lined up the lord chancellor and the heads of the three divisions of the High Court to be interviewed by political journalist and broadcaster Sir Robin Day.

But a shocking incident totally overshadowed anything I was due to say!

Shortly before my main speech, on the opening day, my wife went for a walk – and a man coming towards her in the street pulled out a pistol and shot towards her. The shots missed.

By chance, an off-duty police officer was nearby and flattened him – whilst my wife phoned 999.

What three words would you use to describe your time as president?

Honour, pride, frustration.