CEO Report

AUTUMN 2020

It has been 3 months since my last report, and while much has changed, we still find our lives disrupted by COVID-19. I hope this issue of the Surrey Lawyer finds you safe and well, and that you have had an enjoyable summer despite the strange circumstances we are in.

Since the last issue, we have been working hard at SLS HQ to fulfil our 2020 Training Programme, and are pleased to have been able to move all the courses that were scheduled to take place at the Mandolay to an online alternative. We have been delighted to host the following afternoon courses and would like to thank all the members who took part in these sessions, ensuring they were a success:

■ Inheritance Tax Planning with John Bunker ■ Residential Conveyancing Update with David Keighley ■ New Build Issues for Conveyancers with Richard Snape ■ Residential SDLT for Lawyers with Paul Clark ■ Masterclass for COLPs with Peter Warner ■ Checking up on your Boilerplates with Helen Swaffield

If you were unable to attend any of the above training but would be interested in purchasing the notes and recordings, please contact me, as we have these available for all sessions. Moving into the Autumn, we have a Will Drafting Masterclass from the ever-popular Lesley King, which will take place via Zoom on Wednesday 21st October, more information and booking details for this can be found on the SLS website.

We are very sorry that we have been unable to find a way to reschedule any of our planned social events for the year. We had hoped that we might be able to hold one or two of these during the Autumn, but with cases and the R-number rising, and further restrictions being imposed, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel any face to face events or meetings until 2021. As such, we will are currently making plans to hold the Society’s AGM virtually and will be in touch with you about how this happens in due course. We are also working on some other exciting initiatives which we hope to have available to you before the end of the year, including a suite of careers support run in conjunction with the Surrey Junior Lawyers Division and the launch of our SLS podcasts.

As the end of 2020 drawers closer, the Committee and I have now started work on our Training and Events schedule for 2021, and are excited to be offering a hybrid programme of online and in-person content. For our virtual programme, we will be scheduling webinars and shorter training courses, as well as a number of the online forums, which proved so popular, when we launched them during lockdown. We will also be resuming our in-person courses and events, including the usual social events, such as the Past President’s Cup at Daytona and Legal Brain of Surrey Quiz, and a number of training courses to be held at the Mandolay. We are working hard to ensure that the programme offers all the usual favourites as well as a variety of new initiatives including some sessions for Practice Managers and a series of webinars on improving your soft skills. Whilst we put the content together, we would welcome any recommendations for topics or speakers that you would like to see included in the programme, so please don’t hesitate to contact me with any suggestions.

Outside of the day-to-day, I have been pleased to attend the recent Presidents and Secretaries Conference hosted by the Law Society. The conference was a great opportunity to hear how other local law societies have been affected by COVID-19 and how they are continuing to support their members. In the same vein, our meetings with the County Societies Group continue on a regular basis and are always a useful platform to share experiences and best practice. Over the coming weeks, I am looking forward to attending a local law societies call with President of the Law Society, Simon Davis and will report back to you on that meeting in due course.

Before I conclude, I would like to thank our annual patrons, HFS Milbourne, DPS Software, Moneypenny and Finders International for their continued support during these challenging times. Without their patronage, the Society would not be able to continue supporting our members, and we are extremely grateful for their partnership.

– PATRONS –

www.hfsmilbourne.co.uk www.dpssoftware.co.uk www.findersinternational.co.uk www.moneypenny.com

I hope that you enjoy this issue of the Surrey Lawyer and please remember, if you have any news that you would like to share or topical articles that you think would make a good contribution to the magazine, please send them to me. We would also be happy to share your good news via our social media channels, so don’t forget to tag us on the details below.

Very best wishes. ■

Helen Opie Chief Executive & Magazine Editor

T. 0333 5773830 E. helen.opie@surreylawsociety.org.uk

@SurreyLawSoc @surreylawsociety

Helen Opie (Chief Executive at Surrey Law Society)

LinkedIn SLS Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8731473