INTRODUCTION
CEO Report SUMMER 2021 Helen Opie
B
y the time you read this, the school summer holidays will almost be upon us; I very much hope that the weather has improved since the time of writing, which, as I look out of my window, does not resemble summer at all! Despite the rain, we have a lot of good news to report from Surrey Law Society, which is most welcome after the challenging year we’ve all had. Firstly, I am absolutely delighted to report that the Society has held its first social event since the start of pandemic, our Past President’s Championship Cup at Daytona Sandown Park. You can read more about the event in the coming pages, but needless to say it was an absolute pleasure to see so many members and sponsors in person again after all this time. Many congratulations to our winning team from Gordons Partnership LLP and our runners up from Guildford Chambers and Elite Law Solicitors. This was our second Past President’s Championship Cup, and it really was a fantastic occasion, providing great opportunities for ‘friendly’ rivalries as well as a delicious BBQ and much needed networking. We will certainly be scheduling our 3rd competition in 2022 and I would highly recommend you come along. Second on our list of great news, is that the shortlist for the SLS Legal Awards 2021 has now been announced and you can view the list of finalists for each category overleaf. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all the members who submitted nominations this year, we were unsure how the pandemic would impact the appetite for this programme and have been overwhelmed by the positive response from the membership. We have received a record number of nominations and are delighted to have received entries from firms and individuals who have previously not made submissions. Our shortlisters were also taken aback by the calibre of the nominations reviewed, with one commenting that the enormous and unprecedented challenges presented by the global pandemic had given candidates the opportunity to shine, as they rethink and reshape their outputs to the benefit of their clients, their firms, themselves and their profession. Many thanks to all who nominated and congratulations to those who have been shortlisted. We look forward to seeing you all in September. We are also thrilled to confirm that our gala dinner and awards ceremony will be going ahead on Thursday 16th September at the Mandolay Hotel, Guildford. Booking is now open, and we would love to see as many members there as possible, for what promises to be a fantastic evening. Not only we will be awarding the winners in our 10 categories, but also enjoying an evening of entertainment from Rob Rinder MBE, who will give our after-dinner speech and compere the Awards ceremony. Our dedicated Awards website, which contains all the information you need to know about the Awards programme, is now live and you can view this at http://awards.surreylawsociety.org.uk.
webinars, and most exciting of all, 5 in-person courses, featuring some of our most popular speakers, including John Bunker, Richard Snape and Professor Lesley King. The courses will all be held at the Mandolay Hotel, Guildford and will of course adhere to any COVID guidance that might be in place at the time. So, we have a jam-packed programme of courses and events coming up, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of you at these in the Autumn. I know from speaking to many of you that life has been inconceivably busy over recent months, with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, and the conclusion of the stamp duty holiday, so very much hope that you manage to enjoy a little respite over the summer. As always, I would like to thank our patrons for their continued support of the Surrey Law Society, without whom our training and events would not be possible. They are: ■ HFS Milbourne ■ Access Legal ■ Landmark Information ■ Moneypenny ■ Chadwick Nott ■ Conscious ■ LawSure Insurance ■ Pro-Drive IT ■ Finders International And finally, this afternoon, I will close the computer a little early to watch England face Germany in the last 16 of the Euros, who knows, by the time you read this, they might have won the tournament … but then again … ■ Very best wishes,
Helen Opie
Chief Executive & Magazine Editor T. 0333 5773830 E. helen.opie@surreylawsociety.org.uk @SurreyLawSoc @surreylawsociety Helen Opie (Chief Executive at Surrey Law Society) LinkedIn SLS Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8731473
Moving to our training programme, we have an excellent range of courses and webinars available to members in the Autumn, full details of which can be found over the coming pages. The programme includes 2 online forums, online courses and SURREYLAWYER | 7
