Surrey Law Society hosts inaugural John Perry Memorial Dinner

EVENTS

Surrey Law Society hosts inaugural John Perry Memorial Dinner

John Perry

On 31st March, members, past members and past Presidents of Surrey Law Society joined family members, friends and associates of John Perry for the Society’s first John Perry Memorial Dinner, held at the beautiful Glenmore House in Surbiton. This special occasion was added to the SLS social programme, replacing the traditional President’s Dinner, to honour the enormous contribution John, who sadly passed away in October 2020, made to the Society and the wider legal community in Surrey.

John’s involvement with local law societies spanned over four decades, starting in 1978 when he was Social Secretary and a Committee Member of what was then called the Mid Surrey Law Society, and he was heavily involved in the merger of three local law societies to form The Surrey Law Society in the early 1990’s.

During his time John served as a Committee Member, as Secretary, twice as President, on the Sub-Committee for Conveyancing and Land Law and was a Surrey Council Member on the Council of The Law Society of England and Wales.

We were delighted that John’s family, Rosemary and Lucy, were in attendance at the dinner, along with so many people who have benefitted from John’s friendship and kindness. Many guests shared their memories and experiences of John, including SLS members Ken Seakens, Robert Gray and Simon Leo, as well as friends from Ireland with whom John attended the much-loved SLS Walking Conference and past Surrey Law Society CEO, Sue Seakens.

The evening included a drinks reception accompanied by a string trio, and 3-course dinner including an excellent musical interlude from practicing solicitor and professional opera singer, Andrew Mayor. Andrew’s contribution was made all the more special by the longstanding connection he had to John and Rosemary, whom he met and became friends with shortly after leaving university, as part of a group of singers led by the British tenor, David Johnston. John and Rosemary, known to all for their generosity, showed Andrew many acts of kindness, including regular overnight stays.

John was a stalwart supporter of SLS, and he believed passionately in the profession and the role of the solicitor, and we hope that the introduction of this event to the social programme, goes some small way to express the gratitude we have for all he did for Surrey Law Society. ■