The President’s Foreword

INTRODUCTION

The President’s Foreword

FEBRUARY 2022

Welcome to our Winter edition of Central London Lawyer! This time out we are focussing on the ‘S’ in ESG (“Environmental, Social and Governance”) and breaking bias, the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (on March 8). We have Nadine Simpson-Ataha considering why it is time to stop talking about “race” on page 11, as well as our Law Reform Committee’s response to BEIS’s call for evidence on making flexible working the default on page 12.

We also have I. Stephanie Boyce, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, writing exclusively for Central London Lawyer on “breaking bias” for women at page 15, and a look at neurodiversity in law at pages 20 and 21.

In international news (page 9), I was happy to accept an invitation to attend the opening of the Paris legal year in November, where I signed an historic twinning agreement with Paris Bar Bâtonnier Olivier Cousi. We have maintained strong links with our colleagues in Paris for many years, but we hope that this formal arrangement will help further bolster our relationship, increasing opportunities for our members to work together, sharing knowledge and building their practices across borders.

In a similar vein, WHLS is pleased to co-host the forthcoming UIA London seminar programme with the International Association of Lawyers (“UIA”), the world’s largest international network of lawyers. We invite our members and guests to join colleagues for a dinner in the grand setting of the National Liberal Club on 1 April. This event will be a great opportunity for networking with a particular focus on family lawyers, private practitioners and other professionals from all over the world. Regardless of your practice specialism, this is an excellent chance to leave the home office and enjoy the hospitality of one of central London’s best riverside terraces. Details of how to book will be live on our social media channels in the coming weeks.

There are always opportunities for you to get involved with your law society, no matter what stage of your legal career. As you will read, the Society is beginning to take baby steps towards its usual in-person events schedule, and we hope that this Spring will see us mingling again with colleagues before too long. With that in mind, if you’re looking to increase your step count as well as LinkedIn connections, why not join us as a member of the WHLS team taking part in the London Legal Walk on 28 June?

I look forward to seeing you at one of our events soon. ■

Matthew Allan

Matthew Allan

President

Westminster & Holborn Law Society