It is just a few weeks since we announced that the three of us have united to stand for a newstyle Law Society: effective, efficient, economical and accountable to its members.

In that time we have been overwhelmed by widespread support from throughout the profession for our theme of progress not politics.Let us explain what our priorities are and how they brought us together.

Let us tell you of the foundations we have already laid and how, with your support, we hope to build upon them.The contested presidential election of 1995 demonstrated that many solicitors were deeply disencha nted with the Society, and that many others saw it as irrelevant.

It was clear that something had to be done -- but this did not prevent the last year being dogged by wranglings about what that 'something' was.By the 1996 election everyone had a clearer idea of what the 'something' was.

We stood on different sides in the election, but it was striking how much our manifestos had in common.

We all recognised the Society's faults and wanted to reform it.

The argument was not about the need for change or the direction it should take.

It was about the best way of achieving the change we all desired.This year the profession faced the prospect of a third contested election but we had to ask, 'what would it really be about? Couldn't we achieve more by working together for the good of the profession?'Michael Mathews as Treasurer and Robert Sayer as deputy Treasurer have worked together since last summer to get a grip on the cost of running the Society.

There are achievements to show, and more to come.

Together they confronted the apparently relentless rise in the Society's expenditure which has shown average growth of over £3 million a year over 10 years.

This year they have managed to produce a zero increase budget for the coming financial year, leading to reduced practising certificate fees.So we explored what else we might achieve by working together.

Our detailed discussions confirmed that we share a similar attitude to a range of problems.

We do not pretend to agree on absolutely everything -- no three people would (especially three lawyers) -- but we share fundamental objectives and a belief that we can achieve them by working together.Let us touch on a few of these, starting with finance.

Progress has already been made but more can be done.

We recognise the benefits of the fresh views outsiders can bring.

An external review of the Societys purchasing procedures has identified six-figure savings which can be achieved by progressive steps over the next three years.The increasing cost of indemnity insurance hits all firms hard.

We will ensure that the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (SIF) is checked out by independent experts.We must demonstrate to the profession that it will be run in a way which is more cost effective and delivers what the profession needs.

We will continue to use external expertise whenever it might identify more cost effective ways of operating.

Already the finance committee has agreed to a review of the Society's IT section and, to keep us on track, it has been decided to set up an audit committee with a majority of non-Council members.But it is not just a question of cost cutting.

The Society must rebuild the bond with its members and keep in touch with their needs.

We must direct expenditure towards areas which are of real benefit to the profession.Another objective that we share is to deliver effective democratic accountability.

As the Society has grown it has become increasingly difficult for individual Council members to keep tabs on everything.

One consequence has been that an increasing number of day-to-day decisions have to be left to staff despite the unfairness of imposing so much responsibility on them.An essential step towards returning control and responsibility to Council members, as they are elected by the profession and responsible to them, is to improve communications.

We are working for an effective, but economical, electronic communication system based on proven and widely used technology.

This will enable Council members to keep in touch with what is going on around the clock, speedi ng up the decision-making process and keeping everyone informed.Once it is running smoothly, it can be extended step by step (starting with local Law Societies and groups) to provide a free flow of two way communication for the whole profession.

We recognise that conveyancing is essential to many high street firms and a key part of their income, despite the erosion of fee levels over the years.New threats, like Hambro Countrywide's inhouse conveyancing, are looming.

Those seeking to develop answers deserve our support.

The three of us were fully behind the Societys recent allocation of funds to develop the concept of property centres for firms which wish to choose that route.

In other areas too we will work to provide firms with practical, commercially-minded advice and help on running their practices in a businesslike way.In the international field we shall seek to persuade those countries which have restrictive regimes to do what is necessary to enable solicitors who wish to practise there to do so without unnecessary restrictions.We have a new government to deal with.

We need to influence its agenda.

We can only achieve this if, as a profession, we put forward compelling, collective and reasoned arguments to support our position.

To achieve this we must present a united front and then we cannot be ignored and undermined.A much needed process of transformation has begun, but we need to keep driving it forward.

Together we offer strong and united leadership, with widespread support in the profession putting an end to the discord which has plagued the profession in recent years.Together, we can build a Law Society which is a real benefit, not a burden, to all solicitors.