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OUTGOING PRESIDENT’S LETTER

I can’t believe that 15 months have passed so quickly but I am pleased to report that Birmingham Law Society has achieved so much during the pandemic. We continued to support and engage members and the wider Birmingham community throughout lockdown.

At my inaugural speech in July 2020 I said, ‘we are stronger together’, which continues to ring true as we continue to work together and support each other for the betterment of the profession.

My term of office was unusual in that no-one could have predicted a global pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing, long covid and a tragic death toll. Sadly, we have all been affected by this pandemic.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our essential workers who have assisted us by going above and beyond during these difficult times. firms reported (i) increased productivity; (ii) increased profit and (iii) an improved client experience and (iv) an improvement in staff morale. The majority of firms have also introduced hybrid working policies. Long may this continue!

2. Law & technology - No-one can deny that technology is having a huge impact on the legal sector, especially during the pandemic and can only continue due to innovation and talented young lawyers.

I wanted to promote and educate members on Law and Technology. I am pleased to report that in October 2020 Birmingham Law Society held our first LawTech Conference in partnership with Oosha Ltd. Over 350 delegates attended this conference and over 1500 people have streamed the conference to date. In November 2020 we set up our first LawTech Committee whose remit is to educate member firms on how technology affects the legal sector and how to use it effectively.

My initiatives:

In 2020 I announced plans to take forward three initiatives during my time in office:

1. First - flexible Working – Historically law firms were cautious about flexible working, but Covid-19 forced everyone to adapt to remote working.

With child-care, elderly parent responsibility and work life balance, flexible working should be an option where practical. During lockdown I recently met with the SRA and Legal Services Board who wish to partner with BLS to launch a technology pilot to support smaller and medium law firms to access technology. Details about this pilot should be circulated shortly.

3. Diversity Inclusion Scheme - I am pleased to announce that BLS established its first Diversity Inclusion Scheme, partnering with The University of Law; The University of Wolverhampton; Harrison Clark Rickerbys; and Gateley Legal. Together with support from Pinsent Masons who will provide access additional access to virtual work experience. The benefits include:

• A university scholarship on the LPC • Advice on CV writing • Interview coaching • Training on presentation skill • Mentoring • A place on the Trainee Assessment Day

In September 2020 we provided scholarships to 2 successful candidates. One of the candidates has secured a training contract at Gateley Legal and the other candidate was offered a paralegal position at a local law firm. We ran the scheme for a second year for the 2021 cohort. If you would like to get involved with this scheme, please contact BLS.

Child Brain Injury Trust

I would like to thank you all for helping me to raise £22,081 for this charity who help children and young adults who have an acquired brain injury. The funds raised will go a long way to help the both the injured young people and their families cope with the realities of life after a brain injury.

Note of Thanks

I would like to thank everyone who supported me during my term, especially:

• Stephanie Perraton - Vice-President. • Tony McDaid - Deputy Vice-President. • Joint Honorary Secretaries – Stephanie Brownlees and Pardeep Larga together with our current Joint Honorary Secretaries: Mariyam Harunah and Clare Murphy. • Dee Kundi - Chair of the board together with members of the Board; Council members. • Office staff • Committee Chairs and committee members, • You, our Law society members together with friends and family who supported my Presidency.

I reserve special thanks to Rod Thomas, Managing Partner at Harrison Clark Rickerbys, my team at Medical Accident Group and the HCR family for going the extra mile.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all of our sponsors who sponsored so many events throughout the pandemic. The Society appreciates your continued support.

Finally, at this time, I am reminded of Geoffrey Chaucer’s proverb from his 1374 poem, Troilus and Criseyde, ‘All good things must come to an end’.

RECRUITMENT DRIVE AT IRWIN MITCHELL INCLUDES BIGGEST EVER NEW APPRENTICE INTAKE

Irwin Mitchell has announced its largest single intake of new apprentices, with 24 new recruits commencing Paralegal Level 3 and Business Administration Level 3 apprenticeship programmes.

All 24 have started their induction at the start of a two year programme and will be joined by more in the years ahead as Irwin Mitchell enhances its apprenticeship scheme as part of the firm’s ambitious future growth plans.

Lorcan Seery, apprentice manager at Irwin Mitchell, said: “It’s a real privilege to welcome our biggest ever single cohort of apprentices to the firm and we wish them every success at the start of what promises to be one of the most informative stages of their career journey.

“The lockdown naturally made taking on new apprentices a challenge, so we are keen now to make up for lost ground, creating new opportunities and laying the groundwork for the long term success of the business.”

Irwin Mitchell has also announced the appointment of a new senior associate to support the post-lockdown growth of the firm’s wills, trusts and estates disputes team in the West Midlands.

Based in the Birmingham office, HayleyJo Lockley joins the team with a brief to focus on trust and estate litigation. The first few years of her career were in general litigation, before moving to specialise in contentious trust and probate work six years ago.

Commenting on her new role with Irwin Mitchell, Hayley-Jo Lockley said: “I’m passionate about helping clients achieve a swift and successful resolution to their problems, so it’s a pleasure to be joining a firm that puts client needs at the heart of all we do.

Several other new partners have been recruited in recent months, including Christine Thornley in tax, trusts and estates; Angela Jackman in public law and human rights and Danielle Parsons and Deborah Casale in employment, together with several new senior associate hires nationwide.

The positive news on recruitment caps an 11th consecutive year of growth for the 2020-21 financial year, with turnover up to £275.8m. Meanwhile, Clare Wiseman, (above) Birmingham-based Family Law partner at Irwin Mitchell, has been invited to join the prestigious International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), cementing the firm’s position as a leader in international family law.

Her appointment to the IAFL, following a rigorous admissions process, marks an important step as the only West Midlands-based lawyer to be invited to the Academy. Of her appointment, Clare said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have been invited to join the IAFL, which is a real wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to international family law. “I’m really looking forward to connecting with other members of the IAFL and working with the wider global network to see how Irwin Mitchell can help both other practitioners and international clients.”

NEWS

One of Europe’s leading patent and trade mark firms has recruited eight trainees as part of its commitment to developing talent and expertise for the future.

The trainees are working at the firm’s Birmingham, London and Munich offices. At the Birmingham office are trainee patent attorneys Thomas Heath, Dr Robert Paul and Callum Watson, who have all joined the firm’s technology and engineering team. Thomas Heath said he is looking forward to using his background in engineering and manufacturing to help clients. “I studied mechanical engineering at Coventry University and the University of Warwick, and had placements at engineering consultancies, including within the automotive industry, which has been good experience for working in the West Midlands area,” he said.

“A couple of the projects during the placements were client facing, which I really enjoyed and so I’m glad to be able to have the opportunity to do that every day with Forresters.” Thomas said he’s enjoying working with his mentor, senior associate Dr Emma Palmer. “As trainees we work one-to-one with senior professionals on projects that count towards our training,” said Thomas. “Because we are working on real cases I’m learning new skills without really noticing it. I was attracted to working at Forresters because of this combination of the excellent training programme and being able to build skills as you go along.”

Dr Robert Paul worked as a mechanical engineer before joining Forresters and is looking forward to graduating as a UK and European patent attorney. “I decided to become a patent attorney because the work looked fascinating and I wanted a structured career path where I could really challenge myself,” said Robert who achieved a PhD in composite materials at the University of Manchester. “I was attracted to Forresters because of their hands-on approach to training and I’ve already been involved with a range of interesting inventions.”

Robert is working with Dr Nick Palmer, a partner at Forresters who has expertise in a range of technologies. Robert said: “I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve done so far and I’m working with a great group of people. Work has ranged from search reports to understanding why a patent examiner didn’t allow certain claims. I’m looking forward to working with inventors and clients to ensure they have the IP protection they need to get their product off the ground. It will be really exciting to see the process from start to finish.”

Callum Watson joined Forresters after working as a mechanical design engineer and he is being mentored by senior associate Dr Jagvir Purewal. Callum said he was looking into becoming a patent attorney when he first heard about Forresters. “One of the main things that attracted me to Forresters was their highly regarded training programme,” said Callum who graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2017 with a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

“Forresters really stands out from others because you get involved in the company straight away, working in a team on real life projects. It’s great to be able to help different companies and learn about their inventions and products. Everyone at the firm has been friendly and welcoming and we have already had a couple of get togethers so everyone can get to know each other.”

Among those mentoring the new trainees is Dr Nick Palmer, who joined the firm 13 years ago as a trainee patent attorney. Nick said: “We are delighted to welcome Callum, Robert and Thomas at what is an exciting time for Forresters as the firm continues to go from strength to strength. Our trainee programme attracts talented individuals and it’s not surprising that many of our associates and partners started at the firm as trainees.”

Senior associate Dr Emma Palmer said: “We always want our trainees to have the best experience possible during their training and this is one of the reasons why they are involved in a wide variety of work and are considered a vital part of the team they join.” Dr Jagvir Purewal added: “Recruiting talented trainees every year is a natural part of Forresters’ commitment to bringing new patent and trade mark attorneys into the profession. We enjoy mentoring the trainees to help them develop skills and knowledge because it not only leads to long-term career progression of the trainees, but it also brings added benefits to our clients.”