On one level solicitors have never had it so good.

An increase in demand for legal services, increased profits and higher salaries - and all at a time when record numbers of young people are choosing to become solicitors.But beneath this facade of prosperity there is evidence of a crisis of confidence.

A culture of overwork is leading to stress and fractured relationships.

Women still have difficulty breaking through the glass ceiling.

The disabled and those from ethnic minorities face particular problems in fulfilling their potential.The larger firms fear competition from accountants and US law firms.

Those at the smaller end of the profession are under threat from uneconomic publicly funded work, competition from bulk suppliers, Bar direct and on-line legal service providers.Solicitors feel under such pressure to streamline their businesses and respond to clients in a way that matches the speed of the corporate world that they are suffering a collective identity crisis.

What does it mean to be a solicitor? What, if anything, differentiates solicitors from insurance salesmen?With all of this uncertainty solicitors generally and, in particular, young solicitors, are entitled to expect leadership from their professional body, the Law Society.Instead, they have found themselves represented by a council which reflects neither their age, gender nor ethnicity; by a council elected on the basis of constituency boundaries that are meaningless to most solicitors younger than the age of 45; by a council that has failed to respond to the increasingly specialist nature of the profession; and by a council that has often been driven by political in-fighting and personal ambition.The reform proposals currently before the profession offer an opportunity - perhaps the last opportunity - for change.

Ultimately they should result in:-- A council that is truly representative of the profession;-- A partnership with the many practitioner associations that have tapped the profession's enthusiasm;-- Continuity of leadership through a modified election process;-- An effective corporate structure to facilitate the setting of challenging objectives for an organisation which has the turnover of a public company and which represents more than 90,000 people;-- A strong element of lay representation to enable the Society to benefit from an external perspective and a wide range of expertise;-- A new emphasis on the Society's role as standard bearer with a comprehensive modern complaints handling system of which the profession can be proud.During the past 15 years all attempts at reform of the Law Society have failed.

Why? Because while we can all identify the failings of the present structure, we have been incapable of agreeing what should be put in its place.The reform group which has developed the proposals now out for consultation does not claim that its blueprint is perfect.

In this context, perfection does not exist - every solicitor has a different idea of the perfect professional organisation.However, the group does believe that the reform proposals are practical, coherent, and achievable.

They are specifically designed to enable the Society to become a model regulator, commanding the respect of all its stakeholders.The reforms should also enable the Society to be a much more effective representative body, inspiring confidence and a sense of pride among solicitors.

It is perhaps worth noting that the proposals have been supported most vocally by solicitors working in institutions as complex as the Law Society.

In the words of Digby Jones, a solicitor and director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, the reforms are spot on, if 18 years too late.Don't let your professional organisation stagnate for another 18 years: complete the consultation paper and return it to the Law Society by 18 December 2000.