Flourishing law society reflects growth in city's legal field

The Birmingham Law Society is one of the most active local law societies in England, writes Anne Mizzi.

Its president is commercial litigation partner Jayne Willetts of Hammond Suddards Edge.

She is well known among Birmingham's jet-set at the top firms, and was the first woman to qualify as a solicitor-advocate, the first to chair the National Young Solicitors Group (YSG), and the first to become president of the local law society.

Under her leadership, BLS has flourished.

Ms Willetts says the influence of women has been particularly strong in Birmingham, listing Eversheds's Birmingham managing partner Meg Heppel and mercantile judge Caroline Alton among her contemporaries.

This may seem progressive, but women have been represented in the law society since 1923, when Mary Pickup was admitted, only four years after women were first allowed into the profession.

The BLS is now pushing the boundaries of the virtual world.

It is developing a database for referral work and an integrated website with hyperlinks.

It already boasts the largest lending law library in the UK, a recruitment service, and a graduate database.

And activities include a continuing education programme for fee earners and support staff.

It names lobbying and links with the Birmingham YSG and Trainee Solicitors Group as key functions.

Ms Willetts says: 'Birmingham is best for quality of work and for quality of life.

It is unrivalled as a legal centre.

The Birmingham Law Society is the largest and most proactive local society in the country.

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It seems that the law society has kept pace with the growth of Birmingham itself, since its foundation in 1918.

More than one million people live in the city, 4,000 of whom are solicitors.

Five of the country's top 50 law firms are based in Birmingham.

To reflect this burgeoning market, membership of the law society has doubled in the past 10 years to 2,200 members.

Ms Willetts encourages young solicitors to become active members of the 'unique' Birmingham legal world in which they will find healthy rivalry between firms but also friendly co-operation.