6 minute read
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
I am happy to report that following swiftly on the heels of us setting up the BLS Immigration Committee that we have now resurrected the BLS Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence Committee chaired by Paul Nicholls (solicitor) assisted by Committee Secretary Alex Mellis (barrister). The committee is one of a number of committees that had lapsed post the covid lockdown and we are gradually working through the list and speaking with the committee chairs to ensure the committees have the necessary support and remain relevant and of value to our membership in the post covid era.
June and July have seen a continuation of activities in support of my presidential initiatives.
On 27 June we hosted a Retention of Women in Law event with Rebecca Mander (GuruYou) as moderator for the evening event which attracted 50+ female lawyers in person. Since then Rebecca, Catherine Edwards (Chair of EDI) and I have had a further meeting to discuss a forward plan to keep the conversation and actions going beyond my presidential year. As I said at my inaugural speech and several times since, I consider the retention of woman in law as one of the most important challenges that the profession must overcome to ensure its continued success.
The previous evening (26 June 2023) I had the honour of chairing a Judicial Appointments seminar for solicitors at which HHJ Jane Ingram, Steven Jonas (JRB) and Laura Daly (Irwin Mitchell) talked about their journey to part time and full time judicial appointments. There is an under representation of solicitors taking up such appointments and we explored some of the obstacles and solutions to address the issues.
Earlier in the month on 5 June, we held an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The event chaired by Caroline Brogan of Irwin Mitchell, included speakers Professor Colin Harvey (Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Human Rights Centre in the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast) (attending online), Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC (Lead Counsel to the Keane family, & Special Rapporteur to the Irish Government on Child Protection) and Bez Martin (Margaret Keane’s Daughter & Human Rights Champion) who underlined the importance of the agreement analysing the history of events that led to it. We were honoured to have two of Margaret Keane’s daughters at the event reminding us of the success of the ground-breaking Keane family case which Caroline and others undertook pro bono.
In Wellbeing Week we held a healthy breakfast meeting “Nourish Mind and Body” learning tips from the CEO of GuruYou on how to de-stress and be in the present.
My Vice President and I attended the Joint V meeting hosted by Liverpool Law Society on 14 June before I took up an invitation to attend the Cornwall Law Society Dinner at Truro Cathedral on Friday 16 June. It was particularly gratifying to hear their President Verona Cocks quote our former BLS President Bernard Shepherd in her speech. She said she had been inspired by his words at a BLS Dinner she had attended some years earlier. She quoted Bernard as follows “Remember we are a family of lawyers in this County and Society and we must stand up for each other”. I was 250 miles from home and it filled me with immense pride that the spirit and ethos of BLS is spreading far and wide.
Further evidence were it needed could be found at our event on the 4 July when we held an in person networking event for Ukrainian lawyers. This was as a result of a collaboration with Paul McConnell at the University of Birmingham, Mykola Bliashyn and myself as President. We attracted Ukrainian lawyers from the Birmingham area but also from Manchester, Stockport, Norfolk and other far flung places. It was humbling to see how appreciative the Ukrainians were for what was a small but important gesture to assist our colleagues in their time of need. It is our intention to put on further events and to help in any way we can. We intend that one day we will hold a BLS event in a free peaceful and once again prosperous Ukraine.
On 7 July on a gloriously sunny afternoon we held our BLS “It’s a Knockout” event at Bassetts Pole. I was a spectator rather than a team player this year having broken my shoulder on my last attempt to roll back the years! This year’s worthy winners were Hogan Lovells with Sytech coming in second. Regrettably the BLS cricket tournament which had attracted seven teams was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch only three days after the heat wave we had enjoyed or endured at the aforementioned event at Bassetts Pole.
Timely then that we were treated to an update from our friends and partners at Landmark Information on Climate Change. I personally find the topic fascinating and troubling and the insight from Landmark always gives food for thought coupled with advice on what we can do as individuals and organisations. We had 40+ sign up for the webinar and the plan is to hold an in-person event in the future with an expanded programme.
On 13 July we were visited by Simon Davis (DPP Caymans) looking for expressions of interest from Birmingham lawyers to take up secondments in the Caymans.
In mid July we celebrated the start of South Asian Heritage Month and on the 22 July we supported Birmingham Black Lawyers Annual Dinner at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
In mid July we celebrated the start of South Asian Heritage Month and on the 22 July we supported Birmingham Black Lawyers Annual Dinner at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
We finished off the month of July with a BLS Summer Party on the 27 July at the iconic 103 Colmore Building.
Looking forward we have a very busy September including on the 22 September a Strictly Come Dancing event at the ICC. We are raising funds for the Midlands Air Ambulance and the Child Brain Injury Trust. Will Mellor will be the compère and Flavia Cacace and Pasha Kovalev as judges. For tables and tickets click here.
Have a great summer and as always if there is anything I and my fellow officers can do to support you please do ask.
