President’s Foreword

The President’s Foreword

May 2020

It is clear that the disruption created by COVID-19 is

unlike anything we could have imagined or prepared for. Our lives, our families, our work, plans, hopes; everything feels different. It is daunting, but with perseverance and innovation we will come out the other side.

The Society continues to operate remotely under the limitations of the lockdown, but effectively. It has been especially challenging for the editorial team to put this work together and we are all grateful for their effort.

I hope you enjoy reading about the activities and events that we have held in recent months. One event I recall fondly was our annual dinner when I had the privilege to hand out the Society’s first Lifetime Achievement Award to Mike Tomlinson at the National Liberal Club. Paula Piquer has also written about the successful launch of the Forum for International lawyers. This part of our community needed their space and visibility and we hope we can assist with this and will continue to work for them in this direction. We also recall fondly our twinning ceremony with the Krakow Bar Association, signed at the beautiful Resident House of the President of The Law Society on 11 March 2020. Unfortunately the second leg of the signing, due for 18 April 2020 in Krakow, has been postponed, but the aims and objectives of the twinning are in motion. I want to share my special gratitude to William Longrigg, former President of the International Academy of family Lawyers, for his talk on European Law and Brexit to the representatives of other European Bar Associations, and the President of the Federation of the Bar Association of Europe, Silvia Gimenez-Salinas, who travelled to join us on this occasion. This edition of our magazine however is dominated by the effects of the pandemic on our profession and working lives. You might agree that the word ‘Brexit’ has been replaced at the top of the podium of most used words by ‘furlough’. Phillip Henson, Chair of the Law Reform Committee, has written a helpful piece on the Government Employment Retention Scheme and more information will be shared on our website.

Following the new trend we have an interesting interview with David Morgan which you should not miss together with other articles covering topics such as the experience of working from home for junior solicitors and investigations conducted on behalf of solicitors. We have also included the SRA consultation on Compensation Funds submitted by our Professional Matters Committee.

I hope you all stay well and connected. I look forward to us being together soon. ■

Carolina Marín Pedreño President

SPONSORS

Carolina Marín Pedreño President Carolina is a Spanish Abogado, who cross-qualified as a Solicitor in 2006. She specialises in international cases particularly child abduction, registration and enforcement of foreign contact orders, leave to remove, residence, contact and public law cases. Carolina is a Fellow and elected Governor of the European Chapter of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, Counsellor of the Union International des Avocats Human Rights Commission, member of the International Committee of Resolution, elected Executive member for international affairs of the Bar Association of Murcia, Founder and Secretary of the Spanish Association of Collaborative Lawyers and co-chair of the European Family Justice Observatory. Carolina is a Resolution Accredited Specialist in Child Abduction and Children Law – disputes between parents or relatives. Carolina’s full profile can be found at https://dawsoncornwell.com/en/the-team/partners/carolina-marín-pedreño.html

Anthony Seymour Treasurer Anthony is a Solicitor in the Property Department of Pothecary Witham Weld. He acts for Charities, Company and Private Clients and deals with Commercial property, Landlord and Tenant and Residential Conveyancing. He also specialises in Leasehold Enfranchisement. He has worked at established City Firms and was for many years a Partner in the Property Department of a Central London Law Firm. He is a member of the University of Bristol Alumni Association London Branch Committee and holds a Masters Degree in Law from Kings College, University of London.

Paul Sharma Deputy Vice President Paul is the founder and managing partner of Sharma Solicitors. Sharma Solicitors is a boutique employment law practice acting for both claimants and respondents, small and multinational firms. Paul worked as a trade union official, before qualifying in a firm that acts exclusively for the large trade unions for their members. Paul went on to head the employment law departments of an outer London commercial firm before doing the same for a large city practice.

Matthew Allan Junior Vice President Matthew is a commercial litigator with Sherrards Solicitors, focusing on domestic and international dispute resolution. He also puts his Canadian roots to work as a member of CWHLS’s International Committee. Matt is a former Council Member of the Law Society and sat on its Regulatory Affairs Board, alongside positions with the Junior Lawyers Division national executive committee. He enjoys writing and often adds his two cents to legal debates.

Anisha Birk Honorary Secretary Anisha is a second year trainee at Farrer & Co LLP. Anisha previously sat as Secretary of the WHLS International Sub-Committee before becoming Honorary Secretary this year. She was awarded the 2017 Gamlen Prize by WHLS for outstanding performance on the LPC. Prior to joining Farrer & Co, Anisha worked for the British Museum as a trainee curator. Anisha worked across various aspects of the British Museum’s collections, chiefly completing an online documentation project of the Museum’s vast Sasanian seal collection. In 2014 she was awarded a Sackler Scholarship to complete this project and a Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grant from the Art Fund to visit Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq, to study their Sasanian collections.

Ivan Ho Editor in Chief Ivan has been a member of the main committee since November 2008. He began his training with Hunters in 2004. On qualification, he joined the Property Department of Hunters and specialises in residential and commercial work. He became an Associate at Hunters in April 2010.

Laura Uberoi Immediate Past President Laura is a real estate finance solicitor at Macfarlanes LLP and was previously with Farrer & Co LLP, where she qualified. Prior to her election as President of WHLS, Laura sat on the International Committee and served as Honorary Secretary. In 2017 Laura was also elected as a Council Member at the national Law Society, where she represents junior lawyers up to five years qualified. Before becoming a solicitor, she worked with young people in detention facilities across the UK and separately on capital punishment cases for the Texas Defender Service in the USA. Laura is passionate about social mobility and access to justice – she mentors students to encourage participation in the profession and assists with local free legal advice centres. Laura has also lectured on human rights and war crimes in The Hague and taught a variety of legal subjects, including taxation law, corporate law and international law in the UK and abroad.