The President’s Foreword

INTRODUCTION

The President’s Foreword

MAY 2022

Welcome to the Spring edition of Central London Lawyer!

I would like to thank our guest editor Sadie Thomson of JMW for drawing together an engaging mix of articles. We have everything covered from Russian sanction to Nike’s running shoe IP, restorative justice in Colombia to English Bitcoin litigation. An international mix showcasing our members’ wide range of interests and practices.

On an international note, I had the privilege of presenting two representatives from the Warsaw Bar Association with a Certificate of Honour on behalf of WHLS in early April. This was in recognition of their amazing efforts in establishing and coordinating humanitarian relief for legal colleagues in Ukraine, including medicine, food and clothing to areas not presently met by the larger humanitarian consignments. I am sure you will have contributed to supporting Ukraine in your own way already, but I encourage you to consider the Dean of the Krakow Bar Association’s letter requesting assistance (page 14) and donate if possible.

Our International Committee has also been on the road again and Prof Sara Chandler provides an update on March’s Federation of European Bars (FBE) Conference in Girona, page 15. This comes hot on the heels of the Society’s formal Twinning with colleagues of the Palermo Bar Association. The Society hopes to arrange a delegation to visit the Sicilian capital soon, and members are welcome to join.

I am also pleased to report that the Society is returning to rude health generally. After a hiatus due to the pandemic our CSR & Pro Bono Committee is flourishing again. This edition sees our new chair of the committee, Debjani Biswas-Hawkes, interview its newest member, Chris White of the Government Legal Department, to discuss volunteering and South Westminster Legal Advice Centre on page 12.

In a timely piece on manging employee mental health at page 26, Rachel Phillips of JMW’s Employment Team considers some of the causes of increased mental health issues (stop Doomscrolling!) and notes that, perhaps counterintuitively, a recent report has found that more than a third of UK workers have actually felt more stressed since lockdown restrictions ended.

For members unfamiliar with the Cowrie Scholarship Foundation, Jordan Lancaster of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, explains the exciting opportunities on offer from the Foundation at page 13, which has set a mission to fund at least 100 disadvantaged Black British students through UK universities.

Finally, I would like to extend a warm invitation to members to write for us or get involved with one of our committees. It’s a great way to share your knowledge and enthusiasm with our wider legal community and to showcase your expertise I hope you enjoy this edition.

Matthew Allan

Matthew Allan

President

Westminster & Holborn Law Society

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