Welcome to the new President

Welcome to New President

Over the summer I caught up with our new President, Sharine Burgess, to find out about her journey tobecoming President and what we can expect from her over the next 12 months… by Carolyn Coles.

How do you feel about becoming president?

It is a great honour and a real privilege to become the President of the Northamptonshire Law Society (NLS) in its 140th year. Back in 1879 when NLS was founded the world was a very different place but our core values have remained the same namely to be the voice of solicitors, to drive excellence in the profession and to safeguard the rule of law.

When did you become involved in NLS?

I have been a member of NLS since 2003. In 2017 I won Solicitor of the Year at the NLS Awards and it really brought home to me what a force for good NLS is so I decided to take a more active role and subsequently became a Council member.

Why is NLS important?

In essence, NLS exists to represent the professional interests of all its members in all matters which may affect them at a local and a national level. So its purpose is to represent, support and promote members interests. It encourages collaboration and unity between practitioners in the County which serves to strengthen our legal community. Whether this is by networking events, debates etc. the aim is to ensure effective lines of communication are maintained between our members. It ensures members are kept up to date with important issues which affect the profession and provides training and education.

What are the challenges for NLS?

The real challenge as I see it is for NLS is to adapt to the ever changing legal landscape, to provide new and interesting services to its members and to remain relevant and a focal point for our local legal community.

What is your strategy for your year in office?

During my term as President I want to build upon the good work done by my predecessors in the 140 years previously and to make NLS bigger, better and relevant for the next generation. My objectives are to engage with the current membership to understand what they want from NLS and how we can provide better services; to increase the membership by working hard to encourage new members to join and to deliver what they want; to work closely with young lawyers to ensure that we have a strong Society that will serve our legal community in the future. In this respect I am looking forward to working with Amy Leech the Chair of the Northants and Bucks Junior Lawyers Division who recently became a NLS Council member.

I intend to focus on community projects because I believe that as lawyers we have a responsibility not only to the clients we represent but to our local communities and wider society. We are often caught up in our work and it often seems there aren’t enough hours in the day. However, it is important that we take a step back and ask ourselves how we can make a difference whether that be by undertaking pro bono work, supporting charities and organisations in our communities or mentoring students. There are a lot of opportunities in Northamptonshire where we can make a positive contribution and I would like our members to get involved.

Why did you become a Solicitor?

I did a work experience placement at a local solicitors firm when I was at secondary school. I got to go on a 5 day murder trial as the firm was representing the accused. I got to go into the cells with the prisoner and watched the court proceedings unfold. I remember feeling terribly sad when the guilty verdict was read out but it was really exciting and front page news in the local paper. So that is probably where my interest started. That being said I didn’t go on to practice criminal law. I did lots of legal work experience as a student in different settings e.g. local authority, traditional firms and I was a volunteer at the local law centre when I was at University all of which was terrific experience so I guess I knew what I wanted to do reasonably early on and set out on that path. That was so many years ago now I am feeling quite old!

I am glad that I became a solicitor as contrary to how we are often negatively portrayed on the television (and I am thinking in particular of Adam and Imran in Corrie!) the profession is an honourable profession where we uphold and deliver the highest professional standards and act with honesty & integrity.

What do you enjoy about being a Solicitor?

The work I do in the serious injury team at Shoosmiths can be really challenging but is also so rewarding. I act on behalf of injured people and their families and deal with a wide range of cases including workplace illness and disease claims, stress at work, abuse and military claims.

I am passionate about supporting injured people. To me this involves more than providing high quality legal advice and ensuring a fair settlement. It is about treating a client as an individual with specific needs and requirements. It is about listening to a client and understanding his/her concerns. It is about giving a client continuing support and guidance.

Many of my clients live with complex conditions in challenging circumstances. My clients have suffered life-changing injuries and have developed serious illnesses. My job is to support these individuals and their families through the legal process and help them come to terms with what has happened in order to move forward in a positive way.

I am also very fortunate that I get to work with some fantastic organisations and have the opportunity to really make a difference. This year I have really enjoyed working with Singing4Breathing.

Singing4Breathing is a singing group for people diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other respiratory conditions. The group was set up in 2015 in Northampton has now close to 600 chronically ill people attending groups weekly in the County. It is a great project as academic research has proven that singing can benefit people with respiratory conditions by working the diaphragmatic muscle and therefore helping to improve lung function. Singing is also a good way to practice deep breathing and a great way for people to come together to share their experiences and gain support.

I was really proud to help organise “An Evening with Singing4Breathing and Guests” which took place in April 2019 in Northampton. The concert was performed by singers who suffers from respiratory illnesses from groups in Northampton, Corby and Wellingborough. It was a privilege to work with such an inspiring group of people and the concert was a great opportunity for them to showcase their considerable talent. We also raised over £4000 which will be used to open more groups in the County. This is what I mean by how we can make a difference.

I am also involved currently with The Back Up Trust a charity who work with people affected by spinal cord injuries. I have been lucky enough to be invited with my colleagues to attend wheelchair skills training in hospitals and spinal centres and started this in July with other sessions taking place throughout the year. It is a great charity doing incredible work.

What do you do when you aren’t working?

I mainly am a taxi service for my daughter Eve who at aged 9 has the most active social life of anyone I know! I have got into spinning (group cycle for those who don’t now) this year. I enjoy it although it is quite addictive. However, my idea of heaven is to relax with a good book and a large G&T. Cheers!