Page to promote regional coverage for industry lawyers

The Law Society's Commerce and Industry Group (C&I) - which represents 10,000 in-house solicitors - is to get its third female leader when Ann Page, head of legal at the Co-operative Bank, takes over as chairwoman next month.Ms Page will succeed Alvin Shuttleworth, group legal director of British Nuclear Fuels.In the past year, the group has turned itself into a company limited by guarantee and relaunched London and south-west regional groups.Ms Page said she wanted to relaunch the midlands regional group and continue developing a discussion forum 'to canvass members' views on items of importance'.The group will continue to work in partnership with mediation provider Intermediation and to raise money for cancer research, she added.Ms Page will officially take over at a dinner next month to be attended by the Attorney-General, Lord Goldsmith QC.She will be joined on the new C&I board by Anthony Armitage - chief executive of Internet legal tendering service FirstLAW - as director of communications; and Carole Lawson, head of legal at Burtonwood brewery in Cheshire, as director of training.Jeremy Fleming