President's Page

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

Michael Frape President of the Cambridgeshire Law Society

The death of HM Queen Elizabeth II marks the end of an era, the passing of an age. The Queen personified the British values of democracy; the rule of law; justice; fair play; tolerance; individual liberty; and (most of all) a huge sense of public duty. The extent to which those values remain British and sacrosanct is open to serious question, not least in respect of the threats posed to our democracy, the rule of law and the justice system over the last half dozen years.

Despite the monarchy being an affront to democracy and a constitutional anachronism, the Queen has been a bastion of democracy by overseeing the orderly transition between 15 Prime Ministers. Smooth (or indeed any) transitions of power have not been the case in some republics. When one considers the existential threats to democracy in the US, not least the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021,

and the authoritarian so-called democracies of Russia and China, our constitutional monarchy looks to me, at least, as being the least-worst option and not to be discarded lightly. Whether that will remain the case, however, is an open question and one with which the legal profession must actively engage.

The Queen will have a different meaning for each of us and not always positive. After all for some of us, we abhor the existence of a monarch. However, when I reflect on her reign, I have been most moved by the Queen’s preternatural ability to draw the vast majority of us more closely together, despite the deep divisions in our society, and also her deep and abiding sense of duty to her people and her country. We would all do well to ponder the importance of duty.

Michael

INFORMATION & EVENTS

OFFICERS

President Michael Frape Ashtons Legal Treasurer Gary Hanson

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Barristers Rep Joshua Walters Fenners Chambers Career Development and Mentoring Officer Jessica Mason Birketts Corporate Partnerships Officer John Wright Woodfines Corporate Partnerships Officer Andrew Lika Vardags Corporate Sponsorships Officer Joshua Walters Fenners Chambers CSR & Pro Bono Rep Ellen Cole Greenwoods GRM Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Officer Scott Smith Howes Percival International Relations Officer Melissa Barker (Née de Carvalho) Birketts In House Lawyers Rep Anna Mortenson Nichino Europe Junior Lawyers Division Representative Alexandra Illingworth Mills & Reeve LEA Officer Jessica Mason Birketts

L&D Officer Chris Hoole Appleyard Lees Parliamentary Liaison Officer Chris Thomas Appleyard Lees Patent Attorneys Rep Anwar Gilani Venner Shipley PR & Social Media Officer Josie Beal Birketts Publications Editor Kate Harris Birketts Social Events Officer Joanna Cotgrove Ashtons Legal Website Officer Charlotte Vallins Ashtons Legal Administrator Penelope Harrington

EVENTS 2022

Social

Thursday 1st December Christmas Quiz on Zoom 7.15pm

L & D

Thursday 23rd November The Magic Beyond the Circle” The Law Faculty, University of Cambridge Details to follow

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