The Law Society needs YOU!

ARTICLE

The Law Society needs YOU!

Every year national elections to The Law Society Council are run, with solicitors from across the country stepping forward to represent their peers and be the voice of the profession. The deadline for nominations closed on 23 July this year and voting will open shortly.

Who does this cover?

As a solicitor you are automatically entitled to vote in the election for any constituency in which you work, so you should all be receiving electronic ballot papers to vote for the representatives to represent you on behalf of “Central London”.

Last year The Law Society made significant amendments to the constitution and governance of its council, spearheaded by a taskforce including Coral Hill and led by Fraser Whitehead. As part of these reforms, there are no longer Council seats representing the City of Westminster or Holborn, which were our previous constituencies. Instead there are now five Central London seats which cover everyone in the following postcodes:

EC1-4 WC1-2 W1-W2 W6 W8-11

W14 SW1 SW3 SW5-7 SW10

NW1 NW3 NW5 NW8

Two of these Central London seats are up for election this year, so if you do not receive your ballot paper please do let us or governance@lawsociety.org.uk know.

Why should I care about The Law Society council elections?

The Council sets the strategic direction of The Law Society, voicing the priorities and challenging the greatest challenges facing the profession. The Law Society works tirelessly on the issues that impact us all – recovery from the pandemic, mental health and wellbeing, legal aid cuts, adaptations following Brexit, lawtech, the equality, diversity and inclusion and upholding the international reputation of our profession, to name but a few.

If you want to shape the agenda for The Law Society then can stand to be a Council Member, vote for a candidate that you feel best represents your interests and/or lobby your Council Members to voice the issues important to you.

Who are my current council members?

There are just under 100 Council Members that are elected to represent solicitors on the basis of geographical constituencies (such as Central London), practice area (such as child care law) and demographics (such as junior lawyers).

Central London solicitors are currently represented by:

■ Beth Forrester

■ Fraser Whitehead

■ Jeffrey Forrest

■ Nicola Rubbert

■ Pavel Klimov

You can find their details here:

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/en/about-us/our-governance/ council-constituencies-and-current-members/

If you have any questions or would like more information about being a Council Member, our work or The Law Society more generally, please do get in touch. ■

Laura Uberoi

Laura Uberoi

Council Member of The Law Society, former President of Westminster & Holborn Law Society and Senior Solicitor at Macfarlanes