Having started my presidential term representing the solicitors of England and Wales just three weeks ago, and spending many days since meeting senior judges, ministers and officials, I have become even more conscious that I take on this responsibility at a time when the entire profession stands on the cusp of change.

Some of those changes we can anticipate: greater competition in the legal market than ever before, new business models entering the market under the ABS regime and a new style of regulation in October. We know too that the government’s proposed changes to legal aid and the civil costs regime contained in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill may necessitate changes to the work and structure of many firms. Nevertheless I am equally sure there will be challenges that we cannot currently anticipate; that the year ahead will have its own surprises in store for the Law Society and the profession.

I am, however, a rational optimist when it comes to our future. Many modernising and challenging trends have been affecting solicitors’ practices for some time now and the profession has always risen to them. During the past two years as an office-holder of the Society I have seen for myself how solicitors across England and Wales are innovating all the time, through the exchange of ideas and best practice, and the drive to improve standards and meet the needs of an ever more demanding client base. I am therefore convinced that there will be opportunities available in the future for dynamic, innovative and well-managed firms to thrive.

Throughout my presidential term it is my intention that the Society will continue to reach out to all parts of our diverse profession. It represents solicitors in two nations, England and Wales, who already practise in many different professional environments, and will shortly, if they wish, have the opportunity to work in the legal services business of a larger corporation or in a multi-disciplinary partnership. The number working outside our jurisdiction will no doubt continue to rise, in an increasingly international legal services market. The profession will have to continue to grow and change in order to provide the range of services needed by our clients, whether individual or corporate, UK or overseas, rich or poor.

The Society has to work hard to ensure that we provide effective representation at this time of great change and continue to be valued by all our members, reflecting their differing needs and expectations. It is vital that we rise to this challenge, for notwithstanding our diversity, solicitors remain a single profession, united by our professional values, our code of ethics, our commitment to our clients and our dedication to the rule of law and access to justice. For that reason it is our ambition to strive to be the most innovative, efficient and best-networked representative organisation in the professional services market and to be the representative body of choice for practices both here and internationally.

Throughout the year my fellow office-holders, Lucy Scott-Moncrieff and Nick Fluck, and I will focus on my three broad presidential themes: member engagement, competitiveness and promoting the idea that lawyers are responsible citizens. We will continue, at every available opportunity, to promote England and Wales as the law of choice for international business and the jurisdiction of choice for international dispute resolution.

Part of our promotion of the legal profession will be our annual Law Society Excellence Awards. The range of categories this year, our fifth anniversary, reflects the diverse work of the profession, and a host of highly respected leaders in many fields have agreed to join the Society to select the winners. Nominations are open until 19 August and I would encourage firms and individuals to considering entering and attending this prestigious event.

One of the most important issues for the Society is how we can continue to ensure that new entrants to the profession come from all social backgrounds and represent the society and clients that we serve. I have made it clear that I will support and promote schemes and initiatives designed to ensure that the best, brightest and most committed people from all backgrounds have an equal opportunity to become solicitors and enjoy a career that has given me so much professional satisfaction.

I anticipate that many of the assumptions that have underpinned the nature and status of practising as a lawyer will be challenged over the coming years.

It is the function of the Society to help solicitors and their practices rise to the challenges that inevitably lie ahead and ensure the future of this great profession and those who work within it.

John Wotton is president of the Law Society