President’s Address

Dare I say, I think we are pretty much back to normal? There is a real air of anticipation around the city.

I for one cannot wait for the start of the Commonwealth Games here in Birmingham. Birmingham is looking amazing, ready to welcome the competitors, their friends and family and many other visitors from around the Commonwealth to our great City. I am so proud to be a Brummie, it really does feel like it’s time to celebrate everything we have achieved since the dark days of the pandemic.

At BLS we have been embracing all of the opportunities the Games has brought to us including the very successful Conference and Dinner at University of Birmingham last week hosted jointly with the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. The Conference focused on equality and diversity in sport. Although I was unable to attend the conference and dinner I was lucky enough to attend the Civic Reception, at the Council House hosted by the Lord Mayor. Attendees included, Tony McDaid, Eileen Schofiled, Brian Spears, President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the Hon Marlene Malahoo Forte QC, MP from Jamaica, Paul McConnell, University of Birmingham, John McKendrick QC, Muddasir Hossain from Bangladesh, and Hasan Khan from Pakistan to name a few. It is usual for the host city to put together team of volunteers to provide free legal advice to the athletes and their entourage and as always BLS have risen to the challenge, we have over 40 volunteers ready to provide advice during the games and a team of volunteers from BTSS who will be manning the phones. Good luck to everyone who is participating, I know you will do BLS and Birmingham proud.

In other news, the Alternative Dinner took place in June, we had over 140 attendees, who enjoyed a formal dinner, heard from Jayne Willetts winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Dan Bridgewater and Lucy Coulson from No5 Chambers and finished the night with lots of networking on the dancefloor! We took part in the Birmingham Legal Walk, walking 10 miles raising vital funds to support access to justice and Tony and Alice completed the Moonwalk Scotland in support of my charity, Walk the Walk. If you have not yet sponsored the team who completed 188 miles between them it’s not too late, you can donate here.

Whilst on the subject of my charities, we have recently launched a campaign to help SIFA obtain essential supplies to allow them to continue their work. Members have been donating clothes, toiletries, tins of beans and other nonperishable foodstuffs via BLS and I have made regular trips to Digbeth to drop off the donations. Please do continue to donate what you can spare, further details can be found on the BLS website, you, really can help to make a difference. And don’t forget we are still looking for volunteers to cook for the clients on 11th & 18th August, please do get in touch if you are able to help out, I can promise you, it is an experience you will never forget.

I recently hosted a Committees Chairs meeting to thank them for the sterling work they do on behalf of the Society. I am delighted to report that we have at last appointed a new Chair and Vice of the ED&I Committee, Catherine Edwards (Keele University) and Suki Chhokar (Axiom DWFM) and Cleo Stewart (Midland Heart) and Heidi Salter (Housing 21) for the InHouse Committee. If you are interested in joining a Committee or just finding out more information click here.

On a separate note, thank you to our volunteers who have been out delivering books to primary schools in Birmingham as part of the Gender Sub-Committee’s project to put a copy of “Equal to Everything, Judge Brenda and the Supreme Court”. I personally delivered 21 books to schools in Sutton Coldfield and without exception, the schools were extremely grateful.

The Social Mobility Conference, hosted by Squire Patton Boggs was a huge success, it produced some very lively discussions and is something we will continue to promote in the future. I am delighted that the Wellbeing Conference finally went ahead on 5 July. The Conference which was designed to look at Wellbeing initiatives from both an employer and employee perspective featured a Roundtable discussion on Wellbeing, led by Nisha March (Harrison Clark Rickerby) with David Moorcroft, The High Sherriff of the West Midlands, Wendy Ramshaw (Squire Patton Boggs), Chris Harvey (DWF), Donna Smith (Odonnata), Bill Barton (Barton Legal) and Charlotte Thornton-Smith (Harrison Clark Rickerby).

It was followed by a Masterclass hosted by Donna Smith, a former lawyer looking at self-sabotage which definitely gave us plenty to think about and embrace and taster sessions looking at Mindfulness and Meditation, the importance of movement and nutrition from the team at “Wellbeing in Your Office”.

success, a further networking event hosted by St Philips complete with a Cocktail Bar and The Law Society’s Annual Conference for Presidents and Secretaries. The Conference which was held virtually entitled “Engage, Manage, Grow” featured interactive workshops with other Law Societies from around the Country. There were some thought provoking discussions but I can’t help but feel that next year it should be back in person for everyone to get maximum benefit. In the last edition I informed you all about the Governance Review that the Society was undertaking to ensure that it was fit for purpose in 2022. The recommendations are now being considered by the Implementation Committee, and work is underway on the New Articles. We are still hopeful that any changes will ready in time for the AGM in September, and details will be circulated to members in due course highlighting the changes. In addition to the review, Council and Board have approved the appointment of a CEO, to help focus and move the Society forward. We had some worthy applicants, first interviews have now taken place with second interviews to follow in the next few weeks. I am hopefully that by the beginning of September an appointment will have been made.

And finally and in support of my Wellbeing Initiative, we have moved all of the BLS sporting events to September, the month we have now renamed “Sporty September”. There is something for everyone, “It’s a Knockout”, netball, football and golf finishing with a walk supporting “Birmingham Pride”. You can join us for all of the events or just one or two but I can promise after 2 years of cancellations and postponements they will be fiercely contested. I really do look forward to seeing you there.

So despite the fact that my term of office comes to an end in September there really is lots to look forward to and get involved with.

Good Luck Birmingham with the Commonwealth Games, good luck to the Lionesses in the Euros and may the best candidate win in the Conservative Leadership election. If you have any comments or suggestions of things you would like to see from BLS please do get in touch with me president@birminghamlawsociety.co.uk

Stephanie Perraton, President.

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