Introduction
The President’s Foreword February 2020
I
f your life is anything like mine, your New Year will have begun in a whirlwind, barely giving you the chance to draw breath. Both national and international news seems to be filled with concerning events such as those in Iran, China and with Brexit looming, we are in a year that will no doubt bring significant change. Change sometimes scares us, not only as humans, but as lawyers too, however psychologists say that we should embrace change as an opportunity for new beginnings. January is not only full of dark days, the (possibly temporary) resumption of healthy habits and alcohol free evenings; it brings new intent and opportunity. As a family solicitor, it’s refreshing and invigorating for me to talk to and meet other colleagues, specialists in other fields of law at the different events organised by the Society. It helps me to leave the bubble of my office and colleagues, and listen and discuss our concerns as a community of lawyers. If any of you are still looking for a New Year’s resolution, I encourage you to start participating more actively in the WHLS. You will find the details of all our Chairs of Committees in our magazine so you can contact them directly if you wish to become more involved. Since our AGM in October last year I have had my first Officers meeting and Main Committee meeting. I have also met with our support team from The Law Society. Getting to meet so many members of the Society in my first few months as President has been inspirational. We have an eclectic and motivated Society, one of the most active in London. I give a lot of value to our Society’s relationships with other European Law Societies. Many years of collaboration and friendship lie behind all the existing twinning agreements. Politically we will be exiting the European Union this coming year, but we continue to represent
the European Jurist. The almost 50 years of investment in European Law is not forgotten overnight. I am honoured to have been invited to represent the Society at the Opening of the Legal Year at the Law Societies of Brussels, Barcelona and Milan. Our international relationships are more important than ever before. Thank you to all of you who attended to celebrate with me at the President’s New Year Drinks at Dawson Cornwell’s Offices. Our keynote speaker, Annemarie Carvalho, spoke wonderfully and caused us to reflect on our wellbeing and taught us how to prepare for the New Year ahead. The first award of the year, the Gamlen Prize was awarded that night. We will have our Newly Qualified Solicitors Award in September and a new award will be established for lifetime achievement. I leave you now with this interesting edition that our hardworking editorial team has put together. You cannot miss the interview by our formidable former President, Laura Uberoi when she had the opportunity to speak to Arthur Weir, founder member of our Society. He has been an active and engaging member until last year; almost 60 years dedicated to the Society, to us. Thank you all for your support and interest in our work. ■
Carolina Marín Pedreño President
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