President’s Review

INTRODUCTION

President’s Review

JUNE 2021

We continue to ease our way out of hopefully this final national lockdown. The 21 June removal of restrictions being delayed a further 4 weeks will no doubt provide further devastating consequences to many but we as a Law Society need to plan for full recovery.

Over 44% of the UK population is fully vaccinated with numbers in the South above the national average. Cases appear to be on the rise but hopefully we can escape the worst of the Delta strain.

It would be interesting to hear your plans for the rest of the year in terms of return to offices or increased home working.

Many firms kept offices open whilst others continue to provide an excellent service working from home. In Conveyancing, the market did not fall or crash but the work kept going in residential and commercial transactions although with the tailing off of stamp duty benefits this may cause a slow down, plus the reduction in the number of properties coming on to the market. In litigation, the vulnerable and deserving people are being served, members of our profession, Solicitors and Barristers kept the Courts functioning and the rule of law is being upheld.

Being President of this great Society is a demanding job at the best of times, but with the backdrop of a global pandemic and the resulting economic impact and disruption to all of our lives, it has been very challenging to say the least. We had to start again with our plans and we had to do it quickly. I’m proud that HILS was able to do so by moving to a virtual world, providing training, development courses and other resources to help you navigate the lockdowns and the pandemic.

At the end of the day, supporting one another has been how we have got through the last year or so. I have been grateful for your support and that of the HILS committee. For our Society, we have survived these difficult times and we must now activate and increase our activities in the coming months and years.

This is the time to look forward with hope and aspiration of what is on the horizon. I therefore call upon all members to take part in our future activities, educational courses, and social functions of which we will notify you. We actively encourage you to send us articles, anecdotes, campaign issues, subjects for future seminars and anything else law related. ■

James Gleisner

James Gleisner

President

Hampshire Law Society