Zaidi leads Asians

Ali Zaidi, a partner in the insolvency department at City firm Edwin Coe, who took over as chairman of the Society of Asian lawyers this summer, says the society has appeared almost dormant for various reasons recently.

He intends to turn that around.

With a database of 1,000 lawyers and 400 members this should not be too hard so long as the society can resource itself adequately.Mr Zaidi has been a member of the society since it began in 1992, making it one of the oldest societies representing the interests of Asian lawyers.Members - who pay an annual subscription fee of 20 - are able to attend a range of lectures and seminars worth vital CPD points, and hear a host of interesting speakers.On the agenda for this season's round of meetings are former Tory leadership hopeful Anne Widdecombe, and Daily Telegraph legal correspondent Joshua Rozenberg.Mr Zaidi welcomes moves by the Law Society to canvass opinion from members in relation to representation on the Society's council, and he is keen to engage Chancery Lane in positive dialogue.Another project which Mr Zaidi will be seeking to develop is the telephone helpline the society runs with the assistance of City firm Lovells.

The helpline gives free legal advice to members of the Asian community on various issues from sackings to landlord disputes.Although Lovells enables the helpline to exist, Mr Zaidi says he is keen to increase funding to advertise it - without which it cannot come to the attention of the public.To this end - and to help the society to run itself more efficiently - he is also keen to appoint an administrator.Mr Zaidi replaces Salesh Mehta - head of Verulam Chambers in London - as chairman.

Sheilja Shah, counsel with the treasury solicitor, becomes the treasurer, and Hema Patel, a solicitor with London firm Levenes, becomes secretary.Jeremy Fleming