Your new Law Society Council Member

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Your new Law Society Council Member

Adrienne Edgerley Harris

Adrienne Edgerley Harris, solicitor at Shentons Solicitors in Winchester, has been elected as the representative for solicitors in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (the “South” constituency seat) on The Law Society (TLS) Council.

Adrienne says “it is a great privilege to represent the solicitors in this large geographical area. Thank you to all those who voted for me in the recent election. I want to ensure your voice is heard at Chancery Lane – to represent you – so please contact me.”

Our new Council Member is alive to the challenges that practitioners face. She lists a few:

■ the cost and difficulty in obtaining professional insurance indemnity cover;

■ the continual changes and complex & costly requirements of the SRA

■ a perceived dislocation in focus between the Law Society and regional practice

■ the challenges to being able to retire from practice, notably getting insurance

■ the lack of access to legal aid, its poor funding and the dearth of new solicitors willing to practice in the area, particularly in criminal defence

She is keen to hear from you about any concerns – listed above or not – that you have.

The Law Society has noted that it is not seen as relevant to its members. Adrienne is already discussing with its President, I. Stephanie Boyce and the Membership Engagement Team at TLS, how to bridge this gap.

Adrienne says, “I recognise that, as busy practitioners, we can be time poor. This means that we are not always able to attend face to face meetings. So, even if the social aspects of meeting are not always possible – particularly with the continuing impact of Covid-19 – we can still communicate virtually and you will have a “voice” that way.

“If you have any views on the recently published SRA consultation on the Solicitors Indemnity Fund (the proposal is to abolish it from the end of September 2022) please let me know. You can email me on aedgerleyharris@shentons.co.uk.”

Adrienne took over this role at TLS AGM In October 2021, when Nicholas Gurney-Champion and Razi Shah (north of the area) stepped down after many years of unstinting work on behalf of local solicitors.

She has a wide experience of different forms of legal practice: she trained at the Hampshire County Council, became a partner with Slater and Gibbons Winchester, was on the Legal Aid Board Appeal Panel, became the first woman solicitor on the Committee of Hampshire Incorporated Law Society (HILS) and later was elected its President. Adrienne worked for the Legal Aid Board – many of you will have met her during an audit or from her work setting up the Criminal Defence Service – then took the role of Head of Regulatory Policy at the Law Society, moving to a regulatory role with the SRA and then to becoming COLP in a large high street practice. She has now returned to her Winchester roots as the Practice Manager for Shentons Solicitors. ■