Reaching the regions

As the government unveils its White Paper on devolution, Janet Paraskeva sets out the Law Society's goals to enhance business and political links in England and Wales

The government's policy on devolution took another step forward this week with the publication of its White Paper, 'Your region, your choice'.

The paper sets out the next steps the government is going to take to decentralise power, strengthen regional policy, and enable directly elected assemblies to be established in regions where people want them.

The Law Society has been a step ahead of the government.

In the strategic plan for 2001-2006, the council set out its goals of strengthening the Society's development in the nine English regions and Wales, and of, wherever possible, ensuring that the Society's service would be delivered as closely as possible to solicitors and their clients.

In April 2001, the council adopted a regionalisation programme to deliver offices in all the regions of England and Wales.

The programme provides for an enhanced range of services delivered regionally and for a gradual expansion of the services in the regions of England and Wales where Society offices already exist.

Additional consultation and discussion took place with local law societies at a special one-day consultative conference in May 2001.

The regions of England that the Society has identified are those the government has drawn for regional government in the future.

One of the primary objectives of the enhanced regional offices is to build better links with business and economic organisations in each region and the Regional Development Agencies (RDA).

Solicitors have a key role to play in helping to shape the devised structures - as, indeed, they have done in Wales - and in helping business to shape future economic development in the regions.

In addition to the role of building strong business and political links in each region, the offices will also concentrate on providing enhanced services:

l There will be parliamentary liaison both with existing MPs, MEPs and RDA members and in relevant regions prospective assembly members.

Lawyers have a key role to play in ensuring that devolved powers are exercised effectively, transparently and that decisions are accessible and communicated to the people they affect;

l Media relations.

Local media provide powerful communication channels that have greater penetration than national media.

Now more than ever, the profession needs to build consumer confidence in its services and appear modern and consumer friendly alongside the important values of independence, integrity and professional expertise.

These qualities, effectively presented, will help the profession to compete against unqualified suppliers;

l Practice development.

All modern businesses and services face the challenge of keeping up with rapid changes in technology and consumers' expectations.

The Society wants to help firms and individual solicitors to stay ahead of these challenges.

Allied to this is the provision of information through roadshows, seminars, and in some instances the provision of continuing professional development, which in many cases will be made in collaboration with local law societies in the region;

l In the longer term, providing resource centres for solicitors where they can go, for example, to test new technology, purchase videos, and use conferencing facilities.

These are the core services but, similar to the government's approach, we are not seeking to impose a 'one model fits all' in each region.

All of our development is proceeding in discussion with each region and the final model and balance of activities will vary from region to region in accordance with local needs and the wishes of practitioners in the region.

One year on, considerable progress has been made towards achieving our vision of providing enhanced services more locally:

l A new office has been established in the East Midlands region and the hunt for a permanent office is near completion;

l A thorough review of services provided through the Society's office in Wales has been conducted and the implementation of the recommendations is being considered in discussion with members in Wales;

l New premises are being sought for the Society's office in the south-west.

This is being done with the active support and collaboration of the Association of South-West Law Societies;

l Moves are underway to establish an office in the West Midlands, and in partnership with the Birmingham local law society.

Discussions are taking place bearing in mind that there is a network of strong law societies in the region that themselves provide extensive services to solicitors.

Partnership with the profession is the key to further development.

We want practitioners in the regions to have a greater say over how the Society represents them on key issues and how it provides particular solutions for particular regional needs when required.

The government in the White Paper says it wants the proposed regional assemblies to be democratic and responsive, inclusive and representative, small and streamlined, effective and efficient.

These aims coincide remarkably closely with what we envisage for the Society's offices in Wales and the nine English regions and how they will work in partnership with the profession in each location.

Janet Paraskeva is Chief Executive of the Law Society