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“Integrity is the key to understanding legal practice. Law's empire is defined by attitude, not territory or power or process.” Ronald Dworkin

So, attitude is the key to professional legal practice.

Following the 2007 Act, the SRA stated in a consultation its regulatory objectives were as follows:

1 protecting and promoting the public interest;

2 supporting the constitutional principle of the rule of law;

3 improving access to justice;

4 encouraging an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession;

5 increasing public understanding of the citizen's legal rights and duties;

6 promoting and maintaining adherence to professional principles;

7 protecting and promoting the interests of consumers; and

8 promoting competition in the provision of legal services.

I have no problem with the first five of the stated objectives –the problems which have arisen are because of the policies driven by the last two objectives.

A “consumer” buys a product or a service for a price.

A lawyer, by the ethical use of asymmetric knowledge, acts for a client, quite often in the context of matters, the outcome of which, cannot be predicted in advance of the commencement of a retainer.

"Competition" is the language of manufacturing and retailing, and its principles were incorporated into UK legal services I believe by civil servants at the design stage of the Bill, unsympathetic to solicitors’ traditional professionalism.

So there is much for the SRA board to deal with, albeit in camera, in terms of improving its relationship with solicitors.

At least the new member of the board will be used to dealing with the big city law firms, whose culture will be well known to him.

So in 2018 I live in hope that "things can only get better"