CEO Report

CEO Report

AUTUMN 2024

As we move into the autumn months, I’m pleased to reflect on the Surrey Law Society’s recent successes and share details of the exciting events still to come this year. It’s been a period of both celebration and significant progress, with much more in store.

SLS Legal Awards 2024

One of the standout events this season was, of course, the SLS Legal Awards and Gala Dinner, held on 3rd October at G Live in Guildford. With 265 attendees and 12 award categories, the evening was truly a night to remember. The event was full of highlights, with entertainment that included a brilliant band, a caricaturist (despite a few mixed reactions to the portraits!), and some astonishing magicians who left me and many other guests astounded.

A particularly special moment came when June Venters KC received the Lifetime Achievement Award, a well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions to the legal profession. Our guest speaker, the brilliant Alex Macqueen, added a further spark to the evening. He was not only insightful and engaging but generous with his time, mingling with guests throughout the night. You can read more about the winners and the evening’s highlights in the following pages.

Local Law Societies Conference

In other news, I had the pleasure of speaking at The Law Society’s Local Law Societies Conference in September, where I shared our experience with the SLS’s data transformation project and the implementation of Rubi, our new membership CRM system. This project has been an exciting but challenging journey, and it was valuable to connect with other local law societies and learn about their experiences with data transformation. There’s much value in these shared experiences, and it was a privilege to represent SLS at such an important event.

Partnerships

Another highlight this autumn has been our exploration of new partnerships with several exceptional service providers for the legal profession. I’ve recently met with representatives from DevAssist and Datalaw, both of whom offer innovative solutions that could bring significant value to our members. We’re always eager to establish partnerships that enhance the professional services available to you, and I’m excited to see where these discussions will lead.

Training Programme

After a short summer break, our training programme is back in full swing, with some fantastic sessions already underway. Recently, we hosted two highly popular webinars – Enhancing Legal Practice with AI and Microsoft Copilot, presented by Bruce Penson from Pro Drive IT, and Understanding Tenant Alterations: Legal Insights and Recent Case Law with Tristan Salter from Five Paper. Both sessions were well-attended and sparked some great discussions.

We also concluded our Supporting Surrey programme, which was developed in partnership with Evelyn Partners. This year’s focus on financial wellbeing was particularly timely and included three insightful webinars covering Financial Planning Foundation, Strategic Financial Planning, and Freedom Financial Planning. I want to extend a special thanks to Alina Burlacu and Jenn Smith for their invaluable help in putting these sessions together. If you missed any of the webinars, don’t worry – they’re available to view on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.

com/@SurreyLawSociety/videos). Additionally, if your firm is interested in providing financial wellbeing support to its employees, Evelyn Partners’ excellent ‘Moneyhealth’ programme offers a comprehensive solution, including a digital platform and app, 1-2-1 sessions with a financial coach, executive consulting, and seminars. For more details, please visit www. evelyn.com/services/pensions-and-employee-benefits/employee-financialwellbeing/.

Looking ahead, we have a packed training schedule for the remainder of the year. In the coming weeks, we have two essential online courses –Residential SDLT for Conveyancers – A Comprehensive Update with Paul Clark and Make Your Files Bullet Proof from Post-Death Challenges with Kate Selway KC of Radcliffe Chambers. In November, we’ll be hosting our inaugural CSG Private Client Conference on the 14th, featuring presentations from notable figures like Professor Lesley King and Helen Clifford.

And for those looking for something a little more social, don’t miss our Quiz and Pizza Night at Rogues Bar in Guildford on 21st November, followed by our AGM, which will take place online on 27th November.

Looking to 2025

- Your feedback is vital in ensuring that our programme addresses the areas that matter most to you. If you have any suggestions for content or speakers, please do get in touch.

We are also looking at revamping our subcommittees. Following the success of our Employment Law committee, we’re keen to reinvigorate other committees, such as those focusing on Private Client, Property Law, Practice Management, and Events. If you’re passionate about these areas and would like to be involved, we’d love to hear from you. We’re particularly looking for innovative and proactive members to help shape our future plans.

With best wishes,

Helen

Helen Opie

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

While we’re still wrapping up 2024, the Society is already turning its focus towards 2025, and we’d love to hear from you. We are eager to know what topics and training sessions you’d like to see next year.