MICHAEL NAPIERIt is throwing-out time at the last chance saloon.Two years ago, Robert Sayer promised voters that if elected he would put a stop to 'continual disruptive elections'.

Look what happened.

Not content with one year as President like everyone else, he has pushed himself forward, causing another election this year, ignoring the views and advice of those he has to work with, misjudging the mood of the profession and curiously believing that reform is his personal domain.

Why, having been at the top for the last five turbulent years, should he be given yet another opportunity to try to lead us?So why am I standing for President? Because I believe I can restore stability and bring the strong progressive leadership that is so urgently needed.

No President can work without the support of the Council, as Robert Sayer seems to believe.

The Law Society is like a small public company whose customers and shareholders have lost confidence in the chairman.

I am determined to restore the confidence that has been allowed to slip away.What is my view on a two-year Presidential term? It all depends on the qualities of the individual.

At the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, I was re-elected president for a second year.

But it would be extremely dangerous for the Law Society to introduce a two-year Presidential term without a safeguard mechanism that could halt the progression of a President who had simply developed a taste for the job.

It is also quite wrong for Robert Sayer to pre-empt the situation by claiming a second year for himself before the constitutional reforms are completed.And where do I stand then on reform at Chancery Lane? By nature I am a progressive reformer.

But reform means more than just a soundbite.

From the outset, I argued that Robert Sayer had got the reform process in the wrong sequence, putting form before substance.

It is easy to slash and burn, abolishing committees, but the real challenge is to get the content right - which is what the Society should really be about if it is to function effectively.

Since March, as chair of the executive committee (inheriting the reforming energy of Kamlesh Bahl), I managed at the April Council meeting to accelerate formation of the new eight-member reform group; and at the May meeting to steer through Council the crucial core trilogy package on regulation, representation and rules - the reform combination that will actually give the Society its new sense of purpose and modernised shape.Are regulation and representation mutually exclusive? No.

Self-regulation is the hallmark of a profession and must be retained.

Research clearly shows that there is good public appreciation of the Law Society brand which is already being reinforced to give a stronger message.

The idea of splitting the dual functions is at best only superficially attractive.

Such ill thought through arguments of Robert Sayer and Tony Bogan will simply throw out the baby with the bath water and split the profession.How do I see the task ahead? A tough one, but I am determined to deliver on the challenges:ChallengesX To empower firms of all sizes to take the business decisions that are right for them at this time of seismic change in the legal services market;X To promote solicitors as the focal point for legal advice to all sections of society - private and public, business and community;X To protect solicitors' market share against the inroads of unqualified advisers (wills, employment, personal injury, etc);X To improve standards, reduce complaints and simplify regulation;X To renew the pride and job satisfaction of being a solicitor in a public interest profession that is an integral part of society; andX To complete phase two of the reform process, refocus the Law Society and deliver a model 21st century professional association.The deliveryX By helping firms take maximum advantage of the e-commerce revolution and to partner with others;X By raising public awareness that solicitors are accessible, competent, affordable and friendly;X By levelling outdated restrictions that disadvantage solicitors against commercial competition;X By simplifying the rules to police with a light but effective touch;X By harnessing the enthusiasm of the young, the in-house, the groups, the associations and the regions - they are our strongest resource; andX By hitting the right balance between regulation, representation and providing value-for-money membership services.Can all solicitors, particularly the young, have a bright future? In today's multicultural profession, our young, newly qualified and trainee solicitors will not forgive us if they inherit a fragmented profession led by a divided professional body.

With the Lord Chancellor still breathing down our necks on how we carry out our functions, we have a final opportunity to take the big decisions and get them right, speaking up for all solicitors and giving them an optimistic future.Is this election about issues or personalities? Some election candidates pledge to concentrate on the issues, not on people, and then do the opposite.

Avoiding that mistake, I simply ask the profession to accept that inevitably the election this year has three central issues: the internal reform agenda at Chancery Lane; the external agenda with government and other stakeholders; and to select the candidates who can best deliver issues one and two.

If we are at last to cease taking one step forward and two steps back, the Law Society must have new leadership with me as President and David McIntosh as Vice-President.

Without that, for the Law Society this is not just the last chance saloon; it is not even last orders; it is throwing-out time.Michael Napier is Council member for Yorkshire