INTRODUCTION
CEO Report AUTUMN 2023 Helen Opie
I
t’s Autumn again, which can only mean one thing for the Surrey Law Society, the SLS Legal Awards! And this year, we’ve had a fantastic time planning our biggest and most exciting Award ceremony yet. The big event took place on 12th October at new venue G Live in Guildford, and we hope you agree that it didn’t disappoint. We were delighted to host almost 300 guests on the night, celebrating achievement in 11 Award categories and enjoying a range of entertainment. Our special guest speaker for the evening was the fantastic Shaparak Khorsandi, who also compered the Awards ceremony, and we were also pleased to welcome our excellent band ‘Django’s Jive’, as well as magician, Sav, and silhouette artist, Megumi. It was incredible to see so many SLS members come together, more than ever before, and to celebrate the fantastic work being carried out across the county, you can read more about our winners overleaf. Events such as these are never possible without the generous support of our valued partners, and I would like to personally thank them for their sponsorship. They were: • Evelyn Partners • ReviewSolicitors • Helen Clifford Law • Actionstep • Groundsure • Guildford Chambers • Landmark Information Group • On Point Data • Southey & Co • tmgroup • Verify365 It hasn’t all been Awards though, as our training programme resumed in September with webinars on Key Clauses in Residential Leases and The National Cyber Security Centre Report on the Legal Sector. We’ve also hosted two courses online for Private Client practitioners, a ‘Private Client Update’ with Professor Lesley King and a course on ‘Pensions and Life Policies in the Context of Estate Planning’ with John Bunker. Recordings and notes are available for all the above sessions, so if you are interested in viewing these, please do get in touch. Moving forward, we have forthcoming webinars on Anticipating and Navigating the Hurdles in Estate Administration, Financial Crime Update – it’s not just AML anymore and Dealing with Litigants in Person, as well as an in-person course on Easements and Covenants - Tips and Traps for Residential Conveyancers. You can view more information on all of these sessions at our website, www.surreylawsociety.org.uk, so please do take a look and make your bookings early to avoid disappointment. I’m also pleased to update on some of the activities of our EDI committee, which include a collaborative event with the University of Surrey taking place on 19th October. A panel discussion, that will look at the Inclusivity of the Legal Profession, will include presentations from Jo O’Sullivan, Former Chair of the Resolution EDI Committee, Sushila Abraham,
Council Member of the Law Society of England & Wales and Mark Robinson, Criminal Barrister and we’re very grateful to EDI Committee member Linda Lusingu for all her work on putting this event on. Additionally, the group has reached out to all the secondary schools in the county offering to assist with careers fairs and professional development talks, with a view to encouraging as many students as possible to pursue a career in the law regardless of background. We are always looking for members to support this initiative so if you have any capacity to support with any of our schools engagement programme, please do get in touch. On 8th November, we will be partnering with longtime friend of the Surrey Law Society, Evelyn Partners, on an event for Managing & Senior Partners that provides a Global Economic & Investment Market Update. The briefing will include presentations from senior partners at Evelyn as well as from Maximillian McKechnie, Global Market Strategist, J.P. Morgan Asset Management. It promises to be an extremely popular event, so if you are interested in joining us, please do get in touch as soon as possible. As always, the Society’s committee has been keeping a close eye on any consultations that are relevant to members and I’m pleased to advise that the Conveyancing and Land Law subcommittee recently submitted a response to the Law Society’s closed consultation on climate change and conveyancing on behalf of the membership. Looking to the future, as we approach the end of 2023, we’ll be making plans for next year, including preparation of our training and events programme and renewal of our annual patronage packages. We’re also excited to be exploring the possibility of a series of new online conferences and will be bringing you news on this over the coming weeks. As always, if you have any suggestions of topics you would like us to cover or events you would like us to run, please do get in touch. With best wishes, Helen
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) Surrey Law Society
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