At the conference of presidents and secretaries of local law societies held this month at the Law Society in London, there was much talk of a blank sheet of paper when considering the representational reform process now being embarked on by the Society.

If we were designing a structure to provide efficient representation on national/ international, regional and local levels, we would not start from where we are today. The haphazard network of independent local law societies - some superb, some moribund - leaves some well served and others with little. The overlay of regional associations and Law Society regional offices, however effective they may be, also contributes to muddle about who does what for whom.


Richard Follis, the president of Birmingham Law Society, made a good point when he said that in the new regulatory world, representational funds will be in short supply, and the last thing we need is for national and local structures to compete with one another.


It is time to put aside our vested interests and design an integrated structure that will serve the needs of the profession locally, regionally and nationally with decision-making and services being made and provided at the appropriate level. A democratic governance structure could also be built on this network.


Andrew Holroyd, Law Society Deputy Vice-President, London