Council members and staff at the Law Society were greatly saddened to learn of the untimely death on 3 July of ­former council member Simon Young.

Simon was elected to the council in 2001 to represent the Society’s Law Management Section, which he did for the next eight years. He served on the council’s standards board and regulatory affairs board, and was chair of its rules and ethics subcommittee.

He joined Veitch Penny in Exeter for articles in 1975, leaving as managing partner in 2002 to take up a career as a freelance legal management consultant and trainer based in Crediton. Much of his practice was helping firms convert to LLPs. Simon’s main Law Society role was as a member of the Law Management Section's executive committee, which he joined in 1999. He took the Nottingham Law School MBA in Legal Practice Management, researching success factors for law firms before undertaking further research at Exeter University on the impact of management training in firms.

He turned to writing in recent years, and his publications include Tolley’s Limited Liability Partnerships Handbook, the Partnership title of the Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents, and the Law Society’s New Partner’s Guide to Management.

He was a much sought-after speaker at seminars and conferences, and led a session at the Probate Section conference just before his death.

Simon will be missed by his colleagues and friends for his wisdom and good sense, his kindness and sense of humour.