Liverpool Law Mar 2017
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Council Member’s Report<br />
Council Member’s Report<br />
The latest news from Charlie Jones, Council Member for Merseyside<br />
I attended a Council meeting in<br />
Chancery Lane on 8 February<br />
<strong>2017</strong>. You will probably<br />
appreciate that this Council<br />
meeting was the first meeting<br />
following the resignation of<br />
Catherine Dixon. President<br />
Robert Bourns gave Council a<br />
full de-brief as to what had<br />
occurred following Catherine’s<br />
indication that she was<br />
considering her position towards<br />
the end of 2016. Discussions had<br />
taken place but ultimately she<br />
found it necessary to hand in her<br />
resignation at the beginning of<br />
<strong>2017</strong>. By this time she had<br />
managed to find herself an<br />
alternative position. Robert was<br />
congratulated by Council for the<br />
way in which he handled an<br />
extremely difficult situation.<br />
Council wished Catherine well in<br />
her future career, and thanked<br />
her for what she had done in her<br />
short time with the <strong>Law</strong> Society<br />
as Chief Executive, and resolved<br />
to move on.<br />
To that end, Paul Tennant has<br />
been appointed as interim CEO.<br />
Paul has had long term experience<br />
as Chief Executive of Orbit<br />
Housing Group, and for a time<br />
was also Chair of the Housing<br />
Representative Body. He therefore<br />
has experience of being CEO of<br />
not for profit organisations, and<br />
there is confidence that he will be<br />
able to assist us on an interim<br />
basis, while the task of appointing<br />
a permanent replacement CEO<br />
continues. The purpose of the<br />
appointment is intended to<br />
support the Society deliver the<br />
agreed business plan.<br />
Stakeholders, including the LSP<br />
and the SRA have been informed.<br />
President Bourns is now putting in<br />
hand the important task of seeking<br />
a permanent replacement for<br />
Catherine, and it is felt that it is<br />
important that the governance<br />
issue is resolved before anyone<br />
takes the job on. This makes<br />
eminent sense.<br />
To that end, the issue of<br />
governance continues at pace. It is<br />
likely that even if governance is<br />
not resolved by the time Robert’s<br />
presidency finishes, he will see<br />
that issue through to the end in<br />
any event. There is much resolve<br />
to properly address this issue. I<br />
have said before that Rome was<br />
not built in a day, however, and I<br />
suspect even the Romans may<br />
have been easier to deal with than<br />
lawyers! Change for change sake is<br />
not worth it and we must get it<br />
right.<br />
At the next Council meeting on 22<br />
<strong>Mar</strong>ch, there will be a facilitated<br />
governance discussion. In the<br />
meantime, outside governance<br />
facilitators, from The Good<br />
Governance Institute, have been<br />
appointed to explore what we<br />
need, why we need it, and where<br />
we are going. This issue is in<br />
hand, and rest assured Council is<br />
aware that you, the profession and<br />
membership, want it dealt with<br />
soon.<br />
The night before the Council<br />
meeting we had an interesting and<br />
very useful presentation from<br />
Sophia Adams Bhatti, Director of<br />
Legal Regulatory Policy at the<br />
<strong>Law</strong> Society. Sophia is<br />
responsible for energising the<br />
various groups that produce the<br />
replies to consultation papers. As<br />
you will note if you are involved<br />
in <strong>Liverpool</strong> <strong>Law</strong> Society, there<br />
are a lot of consultation papers<br />
that affect our profession. We<br />
have volunteers that do it at<br />
<strong>Liverpool</strong> <strong>Law</strong> Society, some<br />
under pressure, some willingly, but<br />
whichever, it takes a lot of time.<br />
Not all consultation papers are<br />
responded to, because those<br />
volunteers do not have sufficient<br />
time. At Chancery Lane, it is<br />
right and proper that all<br />
consultation papers affecting our<br />
profession should be responded to.<br />
This takes a lot of work, often<br />
unheard of and unseen and<br />
unrecognised work. Sophia is<br />
responsible for overseeing this.<br />
You would be surprised at how<br />
much is involved. The <strong>Law</strong><br />
Society groups that affect our<br />
profession are endless, and I name<br />
just a few here:-<br />
Criminal, Housing, <strong>Law</strong><br />
Management, Civil Justice,<br />
Family, Commercial, Company,<br />
Commercial Property, Residential<br />
Property etc etc. The list is long.<br />
This all has to be looked into for<br />
the benefit of our profession in the<br />
little silos in which we work. If<br />
you are interested in hearing and<br />
learning more about these groups<br />
and the work that Sophia does,<br />
look on the TLS website, or<br />
contact me. I am sure you would<br />
be surprised at what is involved.<br />
On 2 February <strong>2017</strong> I attended a<br />
20 www.liverpoollawsociety.org.uk<br />
Dinner at ANWLS in Leyland.<br />
This was an interesting dinner at<br />
which Joe Egan, DVP of the <strong>Law</strong><br />
Society, explained what had<br />
happened with regard to Catherine<br />
Dixon. It was clear, even a month<br />
on, that there was still some<br />
misinformation up and down the<br />
country! Joe put matters right.<br />
On 31 January <strong>2017</strong> I attended a<br />
meeting of the Civil Justice Group<br />
in London and also the <strong>Law</strong><br />
Society Gazette Editorial<br />
Advisory Board. In so far as the<br />
latter is concerned, I have received<br />
some comments from members<br />
about the content of the Gazette.<br />
I would be interested to receive<br />
further comments from anyone<br />
else. Is this what you want?<br />
What could be in it, but is not?<br />
What should be excluded? Should<br />
there be local articles in the<br />
National Gazette? It is your<br />
publication. Let me know. Also,<br />
the cost of the paper edition is<br />
enormous. In these days of IT,<br />
can I encourage those who can to<br />
stop taking the paper copy, and<br />
only read it on-line. It is exactly<br />
the same, but does save forests.<br />
The Civil Justice Group are<br />
obviously concerned in relation to<br />
the proposed reforms to the small<br />
claims limit and most particularly<br />
the government’s apparent<br />
intention to ban the concept of<br />
whiplash compensation below<br />
£10,000. <strong>Liverpool</strong> <strong>Law</strong> Society<br />
presented a response to the<br />
consultation paper, and The <strong>Law</strong><br />
Society did likewise: a very well<br />
worked through document.<br />
Attempts were made to focus on<br />
the damage to access to justice. It<br />
was also pointed out indirectly<br />
that the Treasury will suffer, if<br />
lawyers are not in employment.<br />
Individual firms also provided<br />
responses. In <strong>Liverpool</strong>, very well<br />
done to Kirsty McKno, for all her<br />
hard work and enthusiasm and<br />
drive in this respect.<br />
Cyber security is becoming a<br />
considerable concern, and in that<br />
respect I would refer you all to the<br />
<strong>Law</strong> Society’s latest blog from<br />
<strong>Mar</strong>k Leiser, who looks at what<br />
firms can learn from the scandal<br />
of the Panama papers leak. The<br />
weakest link in law firm cyber<br />
security is ……….. Its people!<br />
This area of concern should not<br />
be underestimated. There has<br />
been good <strong>Law</strong> Society coverage<br />
in the media, not least the<br />
interview of the President on BBC<br />
Television News and BBC Radio<br />
Birmingham about professional<br />
standards in the Solicitor<br />
profession following the finding<br />
on Phil Shiner by the SDT.<br />
Robert stressed the high<br />
professional and ethical standards<br />
that solicitors are held to and the<br />
robust, effective and transparent<br />
regulatory disciplinary procedures<br />
required to deal with misconduct.<br />
This point should not be forgotten<br />
when one considers that there is a<br />
continuing attempt to devalue the<br />
work of solicitors, and therefore<br />
devaluing our standards.<br />
The government has also claimed<br />
that there is no evidence that<br />
Employment Tribunal fees are<br />
limiting access to justice. The<br />
<strong>Law</strong> Society challenges this.<br />
President Bourns pointed out that<br />
“The evidence in (the<br />
governments) own report suggests<br />
that tens of thousands of people<br />
are slipping through the cracks”.<br />
The Society will be responding to<br />
the government’s consultation that<br />
accompanies the government’s<br />
long awaited review on the impact<br />
of fees.<br />
There are a lot of other things<br />
going on too, but I cannot go on<br />
for ever …… Thank goodness you<br />
will say!!! Be that as it may, your<br />
<strong>Law</strong> Society is working hard for<br />
you and please, therefore, if you<br />
get the opportunity, let me know<br />
what you think about anything at<br />
all that affects our Profession.<br />
Charlie Jones. Weightmans LLP.<br />
Co Council Member Merseyside<br />
and District. 01512427919.<br />
Charlie.jones @weightmans.com