Staying in front

This is an edited version of the address given by Law Society president Andrew Holroyd to domestic and international guests at this week's opening of the legal year breakfast


Last month, I had the pleasure to attend the Commonwealth Law Conference in Nairobi and I was reminded of an old African proverb: ‘Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it may not survive. Every morning in Africa a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it may starve. It doesn’t matter whether you are a gazelle or a lion, when the sun comes up you had better start running.’



We, the profession, in London, England and Wales, Europe, everywhere in the world – we must all be those gazelles, outrunning the competition.



Take our jurisdiction here, where the profession is almost unrecognisable to the one I joined back in 1974: it’s larger, younger, more international, and it’s more diverse – and today we’re proud to say we better represent our wonderfully rich multi-cultural society.



But there’s also concern: concern that not all the change on the horizon benefits lawyers, the consumer, or the public. That’s why we must all look at ourselves and ask: do our vibrancy and growth – the actual seeds of our success – threaten or compromise our historic role in society?



We are, of course, the land of Magna Carta, the foundation of so many of our shared values. Centuries may have passed, and interpretations evolved, but these fundamental principles are not relics or historical footnotes – they’re as real and as relevant today as when they were first written in 1215.



Take a map of London. You’ll see that where we are today, the home of the Law Society, Chancery Lane, is at the very heart of London. To our east: the City of London – our economic powerhouse. To our west: the Houses of Parliament – our seat of government. Two centres of great power, yet neither profit nor political power are unfettered or unbounded.



In business, competition may be fierce and intense, but it’s fierce and intense according to the law. And in politics, governments govern, but the law is king. The arbiters are the judges, who make judgments, as John Locke said, ‘to no other end but the peace, safety and public good of the people’. Those sentiments were reiterated and reinforced by the Lord Chief Justice in his tour de force on the independence of the judiciary at the Commonwealth Law Conference.



We all know that the rule of law would be nothing without lawyers. There’s no starker demonstration of this commitment to the law than the extraordinary courage, fortitude and bravery of lawyers in countries such as Fiji, Pakistan and Zimbabwe where the rule of law is threatened. I met a remarkable lawyer who personifies each and every one of those qualities last month: Beatrice Mtetwa, president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe. Beatrice is one of only 60 human rights lawyers in Zimbabwe. Would we have her courage if we were in Zimbabwe today, if we were subject to the same threats and intimidation, and if we feared what the next knock on the door could bring?



Today our profession in England and Wales is flourishing as never before. London has become the financial capital of the world in no small part because it can rightly claim to being one of the legal capitals of the world. And this success is built on two simple factors. First, our reputation. Renowned for being home to some of the finest legal minds in the world, our brand of solicitor is synonymous with integrity and independence, and is a hallmark of professionalism and excellence.



The second factor is our openness. Ours is one of the most open legal market in the world. The only real barriers are aspiration and ambition – together with the need to meet our high standards and the ability to compete.



No wonder London is home to more than 200 foreign law firms from around the world. That’s 200 examples of globalisation in action; 200 examples of ideas flowing across legal, economic and national frontiers; 200 examples of lawyers shaping the global future. And you know what? These large firms provide not only jobs for our lawyers, but also thousands of ancillary staff – a huge contribution to our economy.



In the same way, when our law firms open offices abroad, they too employ local lawyers and local ancillary staff; they too make a huge contribution to economies in other countries. That’s globalisation benefiting everyone.



Just consider the impact of the communications revolution. Back in the 1970s, while I was working in Indonesia, you couldn’t make a phone call to the UK without booking it three days in advance. Suffice to say, I didn’t speak to my mother for two years. What a contrast with today. The Internet is already the largest library and meeting place in the world – soon it could be our most important market-place. We all need to understand these realities and embrace the opportunities that it will bring. In our jurisdiction, the Law Society is helping everyone to make the most of the opportunities, from our smallest firms to our global practices. Legal services have fast become one of our economy’s most successful exports – growing year on year – and there are now 4,000 solicitors of every nationality who qualified in England and Wales, working in 77 countries, right across the world. And I’m confident we can continue to build on that success.



The contribution of legal services to UK plc has never been so great, employing over a quarter of a million people and generating 50% more to UK plc than even the accountancy sector. I’m particularly proud that this success is replicated up and down the country, with centres of excellence in every region. Take our thriving legal communities in Birmingham and Leeds, in Cardiff and Manchester, and in my own back yard, Liverpool.



And it is Liverpool where I’ve spent most of the last 30 years, working with dedicated legal aid lawyers, so I know first-hand the unique contribution firms like mine make, giving a voice to the most vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged in our society.



Success brings with it opportunities – and there’s never been a more exciting time to be a solicitor than today.



The Legal Services Act will usher in unprecedented change, and with that will come unprecedented opportunities for those with imagination and enterprise, and those who put the changing needs of the client first.



But I want to make it clear beyond doubt that the integrity and independence of the profession will be enhanced, not endangered, by the new legislation. We, the Law Society, made the difference. We ensured the legislation is good for the consumer, the public, and the profession. We persuaded the government that ours must be a jurisdiction where independence of the profession from government is guaranteed; and one which ensures new entrants to the market are rigorously regulated. We won the arguments.



Soon new business operations will become a reality through new business structures. Lawyers will be able to establish new relationships and work far closer with other professionals. This will be challenging. But whatever the form of alternative business structure, there will be no alternative solicitors’ values. Why? Because while we as a profession evolve, our principles and our values remain timeless.



Being a lawyer is, and always has been, so much more than ‘just a job’, wherever you practise and in whatever part of world. Rule one of our code of conduct says: You must uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice. You must act with integrity. You must not allow your independence to be compromised. You must act in the best interests of each client. You must provide a good standard of service to your clients. You must not behave in a way that is likely to diminish the trust the public places in you or the profession.



Each and every one of those core values is relevant to each and every lawyer, and I would suggest to every part of the global legal profession represented in this room. They – like our shared history – are our compass and our creed. They remind us that while what we do may vary greatly, how we do it and how we conduct ourselves, couldn’t be more alike.



And that is one of my key messages as President of the Law Society, because good ethics mean good business. It is, after all, our values that make us stand out from those outside our profession who don’t aspire to our same high standards. I believe the more competition we face from outside, the more we must hold on to our unique selling point – the fact that we are different.



And I want to explore this with the entire profession – and that’s why I’ll be announcing a series of events examining how we live up to these core values in today’s world.



Whenever I talk with lawyers in England and Wales, I say this profession body isn’t ‘a’ Law Society or ‘the’ Law Society. This is your Law Society. And there’s no better way for the Law Society to represent than to promote. So what better way to promote than to celebrate. That’s why, later this month, the spotlight will be on the very best at our inaugural Law Society Excellence Awards.



I had the opportunity to read all 142 entries last week. They’ve really exceeded all expectations and they demonstrate beyond doubt that this is a profession that’s adapting and innovating like never before.



I’m so glad we’ve got representatives from so many jurisdictions present today because all of us can boast a positive impact on society, the economy, and the rule of law. With all the wonderful pomp and pageantry later today, it would be easy to think that we’re just celebrating an illustrious past. Well, we’re not. We’re also celebrating what I know will be an illustrious future.



So let me end by returning to the African proverb: ‘The sun’s come up. We, the gazelles, are running… we’re keeping ahead of the lions.’