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President’s Review
President’s Review
JUNE 2024
It has been a busy few months here at Hampshire Incorporated Law Society (“HILS”).
A lot of the work done is very much behind the scenes. The various committees have been meeting regularly to try and enhance what we can do for you, the members.
We are looking to expand our offerings for lectures and webinars. We already have a good lecture programme but it is always sensible to see where things can be improved and we are looking at some more pervasive subjects such as equality, diversity and well-being. We’ll keep you posted.
We have had quite a few events recently. There was a highly successful bowling evening in Southampton in April where a good number of members came out and enjoyed a social evening with good conversation and a few strikes as well.
There was the annual quiz, also in April, which is always a great event. I won’t go into too much detail here as I have written a separate piece for this but suffice to say, here, it was well attended and great fun.
We then had our annual dinner in May which took a lot of preparation and organising but went off really well. Again, I have prepared a separate article for this event so won’t say any more here save that we raised a good amount of money for our charity, Wessex Cancer Support.
Our social committee is seeing if a new event can be held later on in the year (linked with the JLD) and initial plans are in hand and we hope this comes to fruition so, for now, please watch this space.
Part of being President is the opportunity and privilege to attend various functions. I have been lucky enough, with Mo Aldridge (the past President) to travel up to Birmingham in April to meet up with many representatives of other local law societies from around the country. This is an invaluable chance to discuss the day to day running of HILS with others and swap ideas. To have a broader network of contacts and other like minded individuals is always a good thing and hopefully helps HILS offerings to our members better. I certainly gained a lot from the day and hope others did too.
I attended the Bournemouth & District Law Society dinner also in April. This was a lovely evening and hosted by its president, Michael Newbold.
I was unable to attend the Dorset Law Society dinner a week after the Bournemouth & District Law Society dinner but Mo Aldridge attended and I am told was an equally enjoyable evening.
As Mo touched upon in her article from November 2023, HILS is assisting with the Hampshire Pro-Bono Committee to champion pro-bono activities and access to justice for all. Mo is joint chair of this committee and I am proud of HILS involvement and also Mo’s determination and drive in helping with this most worthwhile project.
We also continue to respond to Law Society consultations so that our members voices are heard at national level.
As always, if anybody has any ideas for anything HILS could offer please do let us know. We are very much open to new ideas and want to do our best to make sure HILS remains relevant to our members.
I hope everyone has a productive, prosperous and enjoyable next few months. ■
