INTRODUCTION
The President’s Foreword MAY 2021
Paul Sharma
H
ello and welcome to the May edition of Central London Lawyer. How are you faring? Have you managed to get a haircut and a drink with friends? Suddenly we can start to tackle our personal ‘to-do’ lists as restrictions ease and our reasons not to meet up are dwindling. Like players in the FA Cup Final, we have to spring into action and get match-fit again, and be ready for spectators. It’s been a disastrous long year sat on the bench eating pork pies and now we are being called onto the pitch, shorts bursting at the waistband and mild confusion about which goal we’re aiming for. What are the rules of the game again? As much as we’ve all longed to be back to normal life, any adjustment is difficult and often during lockdown we have lost spirit. Amanda Lathia’s excellent article on “Positivity and looking forward” (page 17) demonstrates how keeping a positive attitude can bring real results. After being made redundant in the pandemic, Amanda’s mantra became “Don’t be hard on yourself and focus on what you can offer” and she shares excellent advice for junior lawyers in particular. Continuing with a positive vision of the future, Felicia Munde’s “Time travelling in law: the best of both worlds” (page 14) explores how remote working has changed our industry forever. Felicia talks about finding a new balance, taking into account all the benefits of technology that we have discovered, and she is keen to hear from you if you are interested in “the creation of our future way of working”. These features really make us think about what we want from our working lives, and encourage us to make changes. We have entered Wild West territory – everyone is in some way starting again and there are if not fortunes, certainly careers, to be made for those who seize the opportunity. So let’s
get out there when we can, boldly rocking up to networking events to see faces that aren’t pixelated and backgrounds that are actually…well, in the background, and help each other out. On that note, the Officers of WHLS are eagerly organising two fantastic events for you. The first, a summer soiree…at last a chance to mingle! And in September, the annual dinner – delayed longer than the next Bond film – is back! So get ready to leap into that eveningwear like 007 and party. Details of both events will be confirmed shortly, hooray! Life and work are opening up and we are certainly going to be busy. Free of all restrictions soon, London will be buzzing again, more colourful than Boris’s wallpaper and wilder than his hair. It feels almost unthinkable now to march into a meeting, shake hands and happily accept an unwrapped biscuit, but it’s coming. New challenges approach, like going into a supermarket without a mask and remembering not to gurn at the chilled chickens, because people will see it. Or not flinching when someone hugs you, unless they are a stranger on the Tube. We can go back to our normal levels of sensible hostility, where we can choose who to get two metres close to – and that feels like freedom! Enjoy the next few months, a return but also a new start to normal life. ■
Paul Sharma
President Westminster & Holborn Law Society
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