The headlines in the legal journals were somewhat predictable following Paul Gilbert's recent speech as chairman of the Law Society's Commerce and Industry Group.

Understandably, the reporting focussed on his concerns for the status of the group within the Law Society.The time is ripe for a mature dialogue with solicitors working in commerce and industry in order to integrate fully their valuable perspective into the mainstream of the Law Society's work.

After all, this is a vibrant, energetic and rapidly expanding sector of the profession.

Both the Law Society and private practitioners can benefit from commerce and industry lawyers' unique perspective on a broad range of issues, from the best management practice and budgeting in the leading companies, to client care and marketing.

Particularly valuable is the knowledge they acquire as the major purchasers of legal services.

The Law Society could benefit greatly from this in tracking trends in the legal marketplace.The Society certainly does value the group and was pleased to award a grant of £20,000 to support its excellent management training programme which, I hope, will be a pilot for the whole profession.Sadly, what the journals failed to report was Mr Gilbert's heart-felt call for the profession to rediscover its pride and sense of worth by taking an active role in the debates about justice and the rule of law.'Lawyers have a sense of justice and fairness and ability to see both sides of an argument.

They are also more able than most to find creative solutions to some of life's and business's more intractable problems.'Rightly, he states that this is the responsibility of us all - not just the Law Society but everyone in the profession, whether in private practice or in-house in industry and the public sector.

If we are not to be labelled as 'fat cats, whingers or incompetent' we all have to demonstrate our valuable contribution to society with a robust and on-going commitment to justice, equality and fairness.The Law Society applauds the government's programme of modernising the justice system and welcome many parts of the Access to Justice bill.

But the Society has grave concerns about some of the proposals affecting the provision of legal aid.We can not allow a two-tier system of justice to emerge, with the chances of receiving legal aid becoming a lottery by postcode; a discretionary benefit rather than a right.

Legal aid is an integral part of the welfare state.

And the Law Society is campaigning hard during the passage of the Access to Justice bill to ensure that equal access to justice is maintained for those who need it most.The right to equal treatment before the law is the central pillar of our system of justice.

Lawyers, acting as their clients' legal champions, make this a reality.

Without access to a lawyer, many people will have no effective access to justice.

As Michael Mathews, President of the Law Society, says: 'Rights without access equals no rights at all'.What is to stop an organisation trampling over an individual's rights, if that individual has no way to exercise those rights? The litmus test of any system of justice is how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable in society.Lawyers are the gateway to justice and we should take pride in this fact.

Without our profession, the individual citizen would have little protection against the unscrupulous, and indeed, in some cases, governments.Our system of justice is not perfect and is constantly evolving.

Lawyers have a duty to maintain a constant watch against the politically motivated temptation to propose simple, media-friendly solutions to complex problems.

It is our role to scrutinise proposed legislation, however sensitive the issues, to see that it is fair, just and workable in practice.Lawyers both in private practice and in-house, have a particular responsibility to maintain the integrity of our legal system.

The Law Society will play its full part.

But, like Paul Gilbert, I ask the profession actively to support and take pride in our role as the gate keepers to justice for all.