My time as President of the Law Society has been both memorable and rewarding

What a year to be President of the Law Society. From the passage of the Legal Services Act to the legal aid settlement, it has been a pivotal 12 months. Here are some of my most memorable moments:

August 2007My first meeting as President was with the charity Business in the Community, setting the wheels in motion for our promotion of corporate responsibility, pro bono and the green agenda. The Legal Sector Alliance is helping the legal world save money and become more environmentally sustainable.

The American Bar Association’s (ABA) conference in San Francisco helped me grasp the high standing of our profession throughout the world, and our trade mission to Los Angeles was a success.

SeptemberFor legal aid lawyers the unified contract battle was depressing. In Parliament we won the argument, but there was no vote to change the agenda. This debacle coincided with party conference season – speaking at our fringe event alongside Jack Straw I had the perfect public platform to make plain practitioners’ anger at the situation. He promised to look again, offering a glimmer of hope.

OctoberOur Jurisdiction of Choice campaign to promote England and Wales as the jurisdiction for dispute resolution was launched and undoubtedly enhanced the reputation of English law as the best medium for international work.

Our inaugural Excellence Awards were a great success. One guest, Beatrice Mtetwa, President of the Zimbabwe Law Society, was a reminder of the fragility of the rule of law. At the same time, concerns over the situation in Pakistan led us to petition the UK government to take a tougher stance.

NovemberI spent the month visiting firms and organisations of all sizes across the country. Our in-house lawyers do a wonderful job working in government, courts and commerce. For private practice, there is a contrast between firms gearing up to compete in a changing market and those who fear change. The challenge facing firms remains less market or model, more mindset and mentality. What better time to launch our International Division, helping firms of all sizes develop and expand their international reach.

DecemberWe hosted a joint summit between our profession and the ABA on ‘the globalisation of diversity in the legal profession’. Later in the month I addressed the Association of Women Solicitors, the Society of Asian Lawyers and the Association of Muslim Lawyers. I said the profession is moving in the right direction, but that more needs to be done. Our Diversity Charter – to be launched later this year – will be a major part of that.

January 2008A new year saw the launch of the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) and Law Society Library Online. The JLD launch reminded us that the profession is today younger and more diverse than ever before. To be the best possible representative organisation we must mirror those we represent and provide relevant services.

FebruaryOur first Leadership Summit brought together local law societies and groups and section leaders to discuss better ways of providing the help and services our members need.

Good news about our reputation arrived. In the UK there is no better barometer to brand value than the annual Superbrands survey, where business leaders rank organisations. The Law Society came in at 160th, above every comparable organisation and even other household names such as The Guardian, Lloyds TSB and Accenture.

March Jack Straw helped launch our series of six debates on what unites every solicitor no matter where they work or what they do – our professional values. Our brand and business are underpinned by our shared professionalism. Throughout my year I have been keen to use every opportunity to emphasise that professional values, and business and commerce, must go hand in hand to guarantee our future success.

AprilAfter many months, countless meetings, a judicial review and an appeal, we, the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Services Commission reached a settlement on legal aid, thus providing more certainty and stability for legal aid suppliers. The challenges facing practitioners persist and criminal lawyers also need a reasonable period to adjust their businesses. More importantly, the deal should ensure that the most vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged in society will continue to receive the access to justice they deserve.

MayWith one in three of the world’s population living in either China or India, the ‘Chindian’ market is already on the radar of many firms. We welcomed the leaders of the Chinese and Indian legal professions and gave them an insight into our profession through a series of tours and firm visits. With more than 200 foreign law firms operating in London alone, I am confident they left reassured that open markets present no threat to domestic firms.

JuneThe challenges of a more competitive legal market were debated with one of the key architects of the Legal Services Act, Lord Falconer, who discussed with the Society the impact of external capital and outside ownership. In a lecture at the Paris bar I hope I was able to demonstrate that changes to the funding and ownership of firms are compatible with protecting professional standards by virtue of the terms of the Legal Services Act.

JulyI am setting out on the road to Damascus, where I will speak at an international law conference in the Syrian capital. While hundreds of our lawyers work in the Middle East, Syria is unchartered territory. After that, my practice in Liverpool beckons.

I wish my successor Paul Marsh every success and good fortune. Paul has a strong and professional organisation supporting him, ably led by Desmond Hudson. I have no doubt that together they will serve the profession well.

Andrew Holroyd is outgoing President of the Law Society