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John Wotton
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Our work needs to be informed by the views practitioners
This is my last opportunity to write to the profession as president of the Law Society, so I shall use this column to thank all those who have supported me over the past year and to reflect on the issues that seem most important as I hand over to my ...
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Local law societies will have to reassess role
During May, I welcomed the presidents and secretaries of local law societies from across England and Wales to Chancery Lane. We discussed the responsibility that flows from representing a profession that is, on the one hand, successful, diverse and adaptable and, on the other, faced with unprecedented changes.
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We must adapt to LASPO
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act received royal assent last week. The consequence of this will be that, in some very important areas such as housing and welfare benefits law, vulnerable members of society will find legal advice and representation in the courts, funded by legal ...
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Legacy10 campaign highlights benefits of drafting will through solicitor
From 6 April, an estate of which at least 10% is left to charity benefits from a reduced rate of inheritance tax on the balance of the estate. This change is an opportunity for everyone within the UK to help increase their support for good causes, at little cost to ...
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No turning back from liberalisation
I expect that very soon the Solicitors Regulation Authority will announce that it has granted the first group of licences for alternative business structures if, indeed, an announcement to this effect has not already been made by the time this article is published. The end of the profession? I think ...
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Is the legal profession looking at fission or fusion?
Last week I gave the President’s Oxford lecture at the Saïd Business School. It was a great privilege to be able to address a very distinguished audience on the long-term future of our profession. I felt compelled to ask what implications the freedom of barristers and solicitors to practise together ...
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New arrangements will provide a stronger platform
I am pleased to say that at the end of last year, the Law Society Council approved a package of changes to the arrangements for the governance of the relationship between the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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Solicitors have qualities to hold higher judicial office
Towards the end of last month I had the honour of presenting Lord Collins of Mapesbury, the first solicitor to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court, with the Law Society’s lifetime achievement award, recognising his long and distinguished career.
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The start of the legal year gives us an opportunity to ponder what the future holds
The formal opening of the legal year (OLY) gives the profession an opportunity to reflect on the fundamental principles of access to justice and the rule of law. For the Law Society, it is not only a time to rededicate ourselves to those principles, but a time to pause, reflect ...
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Diverse access is key challenge facing the legal profession
I recently attended the Pathways to Law Annual Conference, held this year at Warwick University, which proved to be an inspiring and hugely enjoyable occasion.
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Legal assumptions will be challenged
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 ...