Last November, news emerged that Law Society President Martin Mears was gathering sympathetic Council members around him under the label 'the President's reform group'.

This followed reports that Council member David Thomas and former presidential candidate Henry Hodge were attending meetings of a rival 'caucus' dedicated to opposing Mr Mears.What the reform group means in practice has been a matter of speculation.

Is it a 'party' in the sense of a political party with all the discipline that entails? Or is it merely a loose grouping of 11 like-minded Council members who have agreed to vote the same way on some issues but not on others?One of the most vocal members of the group is Anthony Bogan, Council member for Surrey.

Mr Bogan says the group did not meet for the first time until the end of last month, when it presented the President with a watch engraved with the words 'Don't let the bastards get you down', echoing the inscription on the watch presented by Michael Mates MP to Polly Peck's Asil Nadir.Mr Bogan says the meeting followed January's 'awful Council debate' in which, during the private session, 'everyone was trying to wash their dirty linen'.Like many other members of the reform group, Mr Bogan says he thought the President and Vice-President,.

Robert Sayer, 'felt isolated'.

He continues: 'People should acknowledge publicly that they agree with what the reformers are trying to do.

No one feels able to stand up and speak in Martin Mear's defence.

At the moment the President and Vice-President look as if they are in a minority of two.'Roger Wilson (Chichester, Midhurst and Sussex coast towns) shares Mr Bogan's impatience with the status quo at Chancery Lane.

'I've been sympathetic to the President's views ever since I joined the Council.

I think the profession is hopelessly over-governed and the Law Society should be cut right back to concentrate on essential core services.

That is what I believe the President is trying to do.'I would like to think that I could encourage him by telling him that there are a lot more people on the Council who share his objectives than it often appears.'I don't see the reform group as being confrontational, but as a way of achieving the objectives of high street firms, which desperately need help.

I don't necessarily agree with all the President's views, but if I do I will say so and if I don't I will say so.'David Keating (Northumbria), chairman of the Law Society's international committee, seems to be more of an establishment Council member than many in the reform group.'As far as I'm concerned the President was elected by the profession, and I want to support him wherever I can.

I think the President does feel isolated, and he has reason, at times, to feel isolated.

He inevitably ruffled some feathers after he was elected, but the fact is that the profession did elect him.

I hope everyone will take a positive approach to dealing with the problems which face us.'Mr Keating has been mentioned as a possible contender for the post of Deputy Vice-President in this year's elections.

He did not rule this out, but seemed genuinely surprised to be asked this by the Gazette.On the radical side of the spectrum is Bill Heath (West London), whose publicly avowed aim is the abolition of the Law Society.

'The profession is pissed off from top to bottom with the Council of the Law Society,' he maintains candidly.The Council's newest member, and the latest recruit to the 'reform group' is Helen Davies (West Country and Gwent).

'We can't afford to ignore the result of the election,' she says.

'Those who voted, voted for change.'Council member David Savage (Berkshire and north Hampshire) says the only thing the reform group has in common is the 'desire for reform of the Law Society so that the needs of its members are seen as priority number one.

Unfortunately many members of the profession feel the Society is not batting fully on their side.'Vice-President Robert Sayer says there is 'no doubt' that he and the President have felt isolated.

'Whatever we say in the Council chamber, there are a handful of very vocal members who will always get up and oppose us,' he says.He predicted that the reform group would meet 'occasionally' in the future, so that people could continue to 'bounce ideas off each other.'President Martin Mears says: 'People have been reluctant to join the group because of worries about becoming members of a political party and having to vote for the "government" willy-nilly.

That is not the case.

On particular issues we will meet and form a consensus view.

You can't be effective if you are just one or two voices.'