Many thanks to the voters who put their confidence in me as your President -- wider thanks, too, for the overall result that allows me to work alongside David McIntosh as Vice-President and Carolyn Kirby, Deputy Vice-President, as office holders in a genuine team.

Boosted by the arrival of a new chief executive, Janet Paraskeva, who starts in two weeks, we have a new and fresh administration to lead the profession and the Society's staff forward at this critical time.The current issues are massive.

I will not duck them.

The 'last-chance saloon' comments in the office-holder election period were not misplaced rhetoric.

Within days of the election result, the combined effect of the Legal Services Ombudsman's critical report, the Office of Fair Trading's restriction of our group consumer credit licence, and an adjournment debate in the Commons on the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, drove home the reality that self-regulation is a privilege that hangs by a narrow thread.

Ignore the national press for a moment and consider the grassroots public opinion test of local headlines such as 'Law Society given its final chance' from the Western Morning News, with similar coverage in the Chester Evening Leader and the Sunderland Echo.

So the pressure is hard on us to sharpen client care awareness and to meet the government's December targets for the OSS, where concerted effort is being made to ensure we do not fail.

We cannot afford to do so.The way solicitors discharge their self-regulatory function is just one -- albeit significant -- part of delivering a radical reform package that will transform the Law Society into a modern organisation with a commercially modelled corporate structure, run by boards to focus on what our stakeholders require and to deliver what our members want.

How else can we be fit enough to match the astonishing pace of change in the world in which the law and lawyers operate today?Did you know that in the last ten years the number of solicitors with practising certificates has grown by nearly 50%; the number of women solicitors has grown by 153%; the percentage of solicitors in commerce and industry and the public sector has nearly doubled to 20%; and that on average solicitors -- whether in a city or community law firm -- already do 37 hours a year on work described as 'pro-bono publico', a fashionable little Latin phrase that seems to have survived judicial disapproval of classical language?On the global scene there is no room for complacency.

Last month the Canadian Bar Association voted in favour of multi-disciplinary partnerships.

It is a debate that will soon come back before our Council, which a year ago gave approval for work on MDP models.

The realities are that three of the big five accountancy firms rank among the top global law firms; that on the Internet Cybersettle.com is a dispute resolution outfit run by non-lawyers.

The MDP debate is upon us whether we like it or not.The dominant phrase of the reform process is that the Law Society should be the 'standard bearer' -- protecting and promoting high standards in the public interest, as well as leading its members into the many battles that have to be fought to promote and protect their interests too.

Only by delivering on those aims will we encourage our members to show the interest in their professional body that, as dwindling election turnouts show, has been lacking in recent times.I want the Law Society to reach out to all solicitors whose involvement is crucial as we enter the consultation phase of the reforms plans.

A key aspect of the proposals would be a larger and more representative Council that would create an electoral college with the credibility to elect the Deputy Vice-President, who would then be expected to proceed (with safeguards) to the top office -- avoiding the disruption and risks of national elections.As the current incumbent of the top office, the last eight weeks have been the hardest working and most invigorating time of my life.

In the first week the 'common law -- common bond' theme of the American Bar Association meeting in London was a reminder that standard-bearing solicitors can attract the support and admiration of those who are prepared to recognise that lawyers play a crucial part in society.

Speaking at the ABA's opening ceremony at the Albert Hall, I was glad to acknowledge the impressive speech given the previous day at Runnymede by US Attorney-General Janet Reno.

She reminded us that the Magna Carta and jury trials are cornerston es of our fundamental freedoms -- and of the need for lawyers to protect them.How refreshing to hear a politician paying tribute to the work lawyers do that they can feel proud of.

Promotion of that pride for all solicitors is central to the many tasks ahead of me, my fellow office holders, the Council and you this year.

Be proud of what you do and please give us your support.