From the President...

After I left practice I moved into higher education, first at BPP and more recently at Hertfordshire Law School, and it has been a privilege to teach many aspiring solicitors over the last 15 years. I am committed to increasing diversity among the legal profession and I am very proud to work at Hertfordshire Law School which is one of the most diverse Law Schools in the country, with almost 70% of law students from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background and with a very high number of students who are the first in their family to go to university. I believe in the transformative power of education to change lives and it is a real pleasure to support the future generation of lawyers.

It is a great honour and privilege to have been elected as President of the Hertfordshire Law Society for 2022 and I will do my very best to represent the interests of all our members

I would like to start by thanking Steven Hamilton for his excellent work as the outgoing President. Steve has done a fantastic job of increasing membership of Hertfordshire Law Society over the last year and also organised a memorable annual dinner in June, our first for three years. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Steve and I hope to continue his good work. I am also so grateful to our treasurer Judith Gower for all her hard work in ensuring the smooth running of Hertfordshire Law Society. Finally, I would like to congratulate Kirsty Richards, Head of Family Law at the National Legal Service, on becoming Vice President. I already work closely with Kirsty who is enormously supportive to Hertfordshire Law School, volunteering with Hertfordshire Law Clinic and supporting employability events. I look forward to working with Kirsty over the next year.

I hope to meet as many members of the Law Society as possible over the coming year. We have already booked our annual dinner for Thursday 6 July 2023 at 6pm at Hatfield House and a Save the Date email will be coming out very soon. As always, there will be the opportunity to nominate outstanding firms and individuals for Hertfordshire Law Society awards and I hope to see many of you there.

By way of introduction, I started my career as a criminal defence solicitor, working at Moss and Co, a small specialist legal aid firm in Hackney. I loved working as a duty solicitor but, like many of my colleagues, I worried that a career in publicly funded criminal defence work was becoming increasingly untenable. As I commence my year of office, Law Society President Lubna Shuja is halfway through her term. Lubna spoke passionately about legal aid and access to justice at our Hertfordshire Law Society dinner in June and I welcome Lubna’s commitment to fair remuneration for legal aid practitioners and proper investment in the justice system.

As Director of Pro Bono at Hertfordshire Law School I was involved in setting up Hertfordshire Law Clinic, which has provided free legal advice to over 500 clients who would otherwise have struggled to access a solicitor. The Law Clinic owes much of its success to the dedication of solicitors across Hertfordshire who give up their time to advise and supervise in the Clinic. Hertfordshire Law Clinic won the prestigious LawWorks award for Best Contribution by a Pro Bono Clinic in December 2022 and I would like to thank all our members who work so hard and contribute to the clinic’s success. As well as providing a valuable service to some of the most vulnerable people in our community, the Law Clinic also provides students with the opportunity to build their CVs and to gain valuable work experience alongside local solicitors.

I am delighted that my year in office coincides with the 100 year anniversary of the first woman, Carrie Morrison, to qualify as a solicitor. In January I attended the finals of the photography competition ‘The Way We Are’ celebrating 100 years of female solicitors. It was a wonderful evening, celebrating the success of women solicitors, and I had the pleasure of meeting I Stephanie Boyce, the former President of the Law Society.

Last month I attended the Southern Area Association of Law Societies (SAALS) meeting in Hampshire and I will continue to attend as many events that I can and do my best to promote the good work that the Society does. (Continues overleaf)

In terms of my plans for the next 12 months, I hope that I will continue to build on the already excellent relationship between the Law Society and the University of Hertfordshire. I would like to ensure the Society plays an active role in community activities and I would welcome the opportunity to meet more members socially. We are lucky to have a very active Junior Lawyers Division, chaired by recent Hertfordshire Law School alumnus Blessing Skolodova, which organises brilliant events for junior lawyers and students. Hertfordshire Student Law Society and Herts JLD co-hosted a wonderful panel event at the University late last year featuring solicitors talking to students about their career journeys and offering their top tips for career success. I would like to expand the number of social events for all members and I am also very keen to offer more training events this year.

I look forward to hearing from you all on what you would like your council to deliver, and how we can support you. I would welcome your ideas and suggestions, particularly for training and social events in 2023.

Diana Kirsch President, Hertfordshire Law Society

Well, Christmews is over for another year

I hope your Christmas and New Year were better than the ones in my household. On 21st December my hooman mother tested positive for Covid. She did get antivirals the same day from the NHS. Unfortunately my hooman father then got Covid on Christmas Eve. The good thing was that they couldn’t go out so had to stay and be with me the whole time. They didn’t even eat any of their Christmas lunch until December 27th so no tasty titbits for me on Christmas Day. Presents were only opened on 27th as well. Although it did mean the golden one and his parents couldn’t come round!

When they were very ill they were in separate bedrooms so I had to keep going from one to the other to look after them. They both felt very sorry for themselves so I spent a lot of time being nurse Gigi! At least now they don’t mind that I sleep on the bed.

The weather has been so cold and the house is not its usual warm temperature. Apparently the cost of fuel has gone up so they are wearing more layers and not keeping the house as warm. Luckily HM complained so the heating is on for longer.

I didn’t like the snow or the frosty ground, my paws don’t like getting cold. I have discovered a radiator that I can sit next to warm up and if it isn’t warm I complain to the management!

You can follow me on Instagram and I might even follow you! @princessgig2019 #catsofinstagram