Inspiration for the future

The 50th Anniversary Conference of the Law Society of Scotland was a resounding success.  It attracted over 1200 delegates from around the globe, making it Scotland’s biggest-ever legal conference and the third biggest in the world this year, and it boasted an unrivalled calibre of speakers and generated a tangible atmosphere of excitement and optimism.  From the opening drumbeats of the African-Scottish Macumba band to the glittering lights of the Highland Ball finale it was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion and an inspirational vision for the future.

Michael Scanlan, President of the Law Society of Scotland, said:  “We must make the vision a reality.  The Powerful messages of the conference must be disseminated, analysed, acted upon.  The bridges built between the Society, the Scottish legal profession and lawyers across the world must be strengthened and improved. The event may be over, but its legacy will be taken forward into the future”.

The Council of the Society decided to celebrate 50 years of its existence but with a purpose.  The Society’s 50th Anniversary Conference Committee worked hard to organise a worthwhile event which would celebrate all that Scottish solicitors have achieved over the past 50 years and look to the future.

Michael Scanlan said:  “We certainly achieved that – it was a prestigious showcase for the Society and the Scottish legal profession and I think it inspired us all”.

He added:  “Devolution is just one of the challenges we all face as we approach the new millennium and it was exciting to be hosting the conference barely a week after the new Parliament opened.”

In his opening speech First Minister Donald Dewer set a dynamic pace which continued for the whole of the conference, discussing the Scottish Executive’s first legislative programme and the powerful tradition of lawyers in Scotland dating back to when Parliament last sat in Edinburgh.

His message to Scottish lawyers was clear:  “Now you have an opportunity to work with the new Parliament to show how the strength of tradition can be brought to bear in this era;  how it can serve all the people of Scotland.  I am confident that you will.”

His optimism was echoed by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who opened the second day of the conference.  He congratulated the Society on its “illustrious role” and embodied the spirit of the conference when he spoke of the law as a tree with its principles firmly rooted in the ground and its branches reaching up to the sky.

Vice-President Alastair Thornton, who introduced Malcolm Rifkind to a packed auditorium, said:  “One of the aims of the conference was to encourage solicitors to look beyond their own jurisdictions and Mr Rifkind’s captivating speech embraced both the international perspective in his discussion of the rule of international law and, closer to home, devolution.  I admired his ability to speak without notes on a range of issues which are of relevance to us all.  It was fascinating to hear his views on subjects ranging from Nato’s role in Kosovo to the responsibilities of the Lord Advocate in Scotland.”

In true Scots tradition delegates living within commuting distance of Edinburgh offered hospitality to many national and international visitors.  Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, of the United States Supreme Court, was the keynote speaker on the third day of the conference and the guest of Vice-President Alastair Thornton.

He said:  “My wife Susie and I were privileged to have Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as guest for the evening.  She is a lady of extraordinary intellect and was very interested in the views of Scottish lawyers and the opportunity which the Scottish Parliament presents for the development of Scots law.

“Her talk the following day was a revelation which brought international law into the domestic context – it was the best lecture on jurisprudence and comparative law you are ever likely to hear.”

Justice O’Connor discussed the Human Rights Act – and the fact that it signals the beginning of a debate in Scotland on the role the courts should play in the protection of the rights of the individual.

She said:  “This is a debate which will likely echo many of the issues the United States has dealt with in recent decades.  But this is simply an early examination of what I believe will be a trend for the future:  the challenge of a world that is increasingly interdependent and that demands each nation take part in the global community.

“Both the United States and United Kingdom face similar challenges in the next century.  We must consider how we will adapt our shared tradition of law, freedom, and justice, to meet these challenges.  The greatest challenge I see for the next century is to learn to live together in a world with porous borders.”

Management was a strong theme of the whole conference, as was information technology.  Speakers who made their mark included world-renowned management experts Ward Bower and Mark Powers, whom many of the delegates described as inspirational, and Richard Susskind of the Society of Computers and Law.

Michael Scanlan said:  “The Society’s motto, Humani nihil alienum, which can be interpreted as ‘there is no aspect of humanity which is not the concern of a lawyer’, is true in that solicitors see the whole spectrum of life in the course of their work and now more than ever have to be experts in the whole range of business activity”.

Past-President Philip Dry, whose term of office immediately preceded the conference, said:  “The conference presentations covered the range of skills which are vital for a successful legal career – from advice on controlling your workload to presentation skills, risk management and information technology, as well as keeping solicitors up-to-date with the latest developments in the law.  The combination of the seminars, the exhibition and networking gave national and international delegates, whether private practitioners, in-house lawyers, businessmen, trainees or students, a clear picture of the opportunities that are out there to ‘turbo-charge’ their business.”

Legal seminars included Lord McCluskey who seized the attention of his audience and the world’s media with a hard-hitting speech on sentencing policy.  His call for the establishment of a Royal Commission on sentencing with particular reference to drugs offenders and women offenders will be considered by the Society’s Criminal Law Committee next month.  Lord Hope of Craighead made a thought provoking, highly relevant analysis of the judicial review of the Acts of the Scottish Parliament and Klaus Bohloff, President of the International Bar Association, gave an interesting insight into human rights.

The social highlights of the conference also received acclaim.

A reception and dinner was held in the spectacular surroundings of the Royal Museum of Scotland where specially-designed ice sculptures, banners and lighting set the scene for an evening of unique sophistication and glamour.  Champagne and oysters were much in evidence but once again Scotland’s heritage came to the fore with Irn Bru and canapés of fish and chips also available.  Electric blue, fire-breathing street entertainers greeted guests to the glittering Highland Ball at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on the last evening.

John Loudon, Convener of the 50th Anniversary Committee for the past eighteen months, said:  “The planning for this event was immense.  We had to make sure that we had the very best elements to provide a first-class conference.  Scottish law and Scottish hospitality is known for its excellence and the conference had to reflect that.  The “wow” factor had to be there and whether it was ice sculptures or fire eaters we were prepared to put in that extra effort to make that happen.”

Iona Ritchie, the conference organiser, said:  “It has been a real challenge to organise the conference and I am one of many who feel like sleeping for a month!  There were many who said at the start that the plans were over-ambitious and the ideas too extravagant but we kept the faith.  With generous sponsorship from many including our principal sponsor the Royal Bank of Scotland, we succeeded in financing the conference.

“The most nailbiting moments were when few delegates signed up at first only to be followed by an even more nailbiting deluge of delegates – it took me back to my days in UPDATE!”

Many of the conversations which took place in the foyer of the EICC and the exhibition hall centred on the importance of holding the conference and the benefit close to those attending.  The conference has been described as a significant morale boost to the profession.  In the words of Council member Heather Gibbings:  “I think the conference was a significant boost for the profession – it confirmed how highly Scottish law and its practitioners are regarded by other jurisdictions.  It provided a forum for solicitors from all over the world to share their experiences and expertise from abroad a very positive impression of what we can achieve.”

Council member John Newall said:  “Our stock is very high among those who attended – the challenge now is to let the rest of the profession know.  I spoke to several delegates who said that the conference was the best they had ever been to, and they genuinely meant it.  Our status on the international stage has been enhanced considerably.  This seems to have been borne out by the feedback which the Society has received.”

Chief Executive Douglas Mill said.  “The conference was a mark of the power of the Scottish legal profession and the regard in which it is held worldwide.  I was impressed with the immediate relevance of many of the debates – there was an electric atmosphere caused by the excitement of having a forum that attracted so many gifted and eminent speakers.

“I think as a Society we can feel proud of what we have achieved – it was an enormous amount of work for many people but it has paid off a thousand-fold.  We provided what the profession want from a conference – the best speakers, a high-class venue, a breadth and diversity of content – and gained experience which may shape our policy for the future.  We may not hold a conference as large for some time to come but it gives us positive ideas regarding other events – such as our AGM and CPD training.

“The conference was as vital in gaining feedback from the profession as it was in providing the highest quality CPD.”

The conference gave the Society an opportunity to show how much the profession and the Law Society itself have moved on in the last 50 years.  Some perceive the profession and the Society as antiquated and in need of modernisation but the dynamic atmosphere of the conference and its forward-looking theme show that this perception is a far cry from the truth.

Douglas Mill says:  “There is a difference between perception and reality – the conference showed that the Society and the profession are keen to embrace the future.  The challenge now is for the Society and the profession to keep that momentum going.”