President’s Jottings

INTRODUCTION

President’s Jottings

SUMMER 2022

I am delighted to be taking over the role of President of Surrey Law Society, although we were sorry to say goodbye to the outgoing President Mumtaz Hussain, who after 12 months has stepped down.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mumtaz for her contribution to SLS, in particular the creation of SLS’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, which she chaired throughout her time as President. The EDI Committee is going from strength to strength to make sure that we are proactively encouraging a diverse profession, as well as making sure that the industry is an inclusive space for all those within. I was pleased to attend a session run by Sally Brett, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Law Society to see how local law societies can work together to make sure that our profession reflects the community it serves. Please keep an eye out on SLS’s social media pages for news from the EDI Committee.

About me

To introduce myself, I have been a committee member of SLS since 2018. I am a Private Client solicitor at TWM in Guildford, having qualified in 2016. Before joining SLS I chaired the Surrey JLD (then Young Surrey Lawyers). I grew up in Surrey, and I live in Woking with my husband and our two-year-old, Lucas.

Plans for the year ahead

There is no doubt that the last few years have been challenging in many respects, and those challenges are far from behind us. It is my hope that at SLS we can continue to serve the legal community, representing our members in both local and national discussions. Please feel free to get in touch with me if there is anything we can support you with.

I am looking forward to attending a Counties Society Group meeting later this month, and discussing the possibility of a Westminster visit with an opportunity for a discussion with Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, and I will provide a feedback on this as soon as I have it.

During my term I hope to focus on the following:

Growing and strengthening the SLS committee, including stronger links with the Surrey Junior Lawyers Division. Having come to SLS via Surrey JLD I can really see the value in being involved early in your career;

Changes in how SLS operates to reflect the changing nature of the industry and its members;

Linking junior members of the profession with mentors who are prepared to offer their time; and

Strengthening relationships with other local law societies. I was honoured to attend Kent Law Society’s awards ceremony in May and it was good to welcome their President Nick Fairweather and his team, to our Daytona Past President’s Go-carting Championship in June.

Charity

It is also my privilege to choose a charity for my Presidential term, and I am pleased to support The Samson Centre for MS, in Guildford. The Samson Centre is a small charity supporting those suffering with Multiple Sclerosis locally, offering physiotherapy, gym sessions and oxygen therapy. They are totally reliant on donations, so your support is really valuable. You can read more about The Samson Centre and the work the work they do here: https://samsoncentre.org.uk/.

Awards

I am really looking forward to my term as President, and I look forward to meeting many of you hopefully, at the Surrey Legal Awards. The awards are taking place on 22nd September 2022 at the Mandolay Hotel in Guildford. This is the fourth time the event has run, and following the success of previous years it promises to be a great evening, with guest speaker Clive Anderson. I hope to see you there.

Madeleine Beresford

Madeleine Beresford

President