Last week's Law Society conference was one of the most stimulating of its kind, with the mood driven mainly by the intriguing environment in which the legal profession currently finds itself.

It has been fashionable for commentators over the last few years - not least in these columns - to remark on the considerable state of flux lawyers are experiencing.

But the London conference threw into stark relief just how wide-ranging those issues are.

There was a major announcement from the Lord Chancellor on complaints handling; from the Law Society came what the Legal Services Commission chairman called some of the most original thinking on access to justice for years; and there was the launch of a major initiative from the Society aimed at increasing access to and diversity in the solicitors' profession.

All that came against the backdrop of robust debate of issues such as in-house lawyer whistleblowing, the possible reform of practice rule 4, and the controversial money laundering regulations.

So what will the conference agenda look like in Birmingham next year? Undoubtedly it will be buzzing with expectation as the Clementi review of legal services reaches the report stage.

Another 12 months of battling over the legal aid budget will have passed, the end of the public defender service pilot will be one year closer and the Law Society will have had a year of working with the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner.

All that leaves plenty of opportunity for all commentators to spill more ink over the changing face of the profession.