President

Autumn has now truly arrived, and the presidential diary is instantly busy. September and October are always hectic months for events and engagements. So far they have included the Glasgow Bar Association Dinner, the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen President’s Dinner, the Law Society of Ireland Annual Dinner in Dublin, and an event in London to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Army Legal Services. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them all, and at every one I’ve had the opportunity to meet old friends and make new connections.

As future events continue to appear in my diary, I look forward to each – all different but every one important.

My travels have taken me to Perth and Aberdeen for our Member Forum events. It has been fantastic to have such great turnouts at each meeting and to see so many of you in person. Aberdeen born and bred as I am, it was particularly gratifying to see an especially high number of you taking time to join our discussions in the city. Members are talking about all sorts of issues, but the difficult subject of recruitment and retention (across practice areas, not just in criminal defence) features regularly, as of course does the continuing crisis for legal aid. In response to questions about Council, I was happy to describe the impact individual Council members can and do have in our discussions and on the Society’s work. If you are interested in joining Council, please do get in touch.

Connections

Having submitted our response to the call for evidence on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill in August, we’re now planning for the evidence sessions before parliamentary committees later in the year. I’ve been encouraged by the engagement from all sizes and types of firms at the member meetings. The more we all engage, the stronger our voice. We now know that our senators are opposed to the proposals in relation to directive powers which the Scottish Government seeks, and that our concerns around the independence of the profession are echoed elsewhere. Keep raising your voices!

Which brings me to the importance of our international connections. I’m often asked about my travel, domestic and international. Where have I been; where will I “get to” go? As anyone who travels on business regularly will likely say, it is far from glamorous most of the time, though I am very aware of the privilege it is. But that travel is important. We make connections, we meet those with similar issues to ours, and we exchange ideas and thoughts.

These connections bring tangible outcomes. I have had the honour to represent us all at several events, including an IBA meeting in Helsinki in May, where I had the pleasure to meet Almudena Arpón de Mendívil, President of the IBA and a keynote speaker at our Annual Conference this year. I also met Ken Murphy, chair of the Bar Issues Commission of the IBA. That meeting and our discussions on the Regulation Bill led to the IBA writing to express its concerns about the terms of the bill and the potential impact on the independence of the legal profession in Scotland. Theirs is a strong and important voice. This is not the first time the IBA has spoken up in support of a Law Society of Scotland position.

We are represented in the IBA by Michael Clancy OBE, who is chair of the Constitution & Governance Committee, and it is hard to overstate the regard in which he (and his voice) is held. Strong Scottish voices again.

Shared issues

Our relationship is also naturally strong with our colleagues in England & Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Our regular meetings allow exchanges of information about problems which are frequently similar. The Bar in Ireland has recently announced strikes by criminal barristers, arising from concerns about funding. In Northern Ireland, one issue is rural practices and their future. And concerns about funding are of course felt south of the border too. We get much from these connections.

In recent weeks I’ve had discussions at the Society’s offices with a delegation from Singapore on various aspects of our criminal justice system, and was privileged to be part of the Opening of the Legal Year in England & Wales where I was invited to join a panel discussing matters around the importance of the independence of the legal profession. It benefits us all to have our country’s voice heard at such events and on these occasions.

I will keep speaking up on behalf of all of us, wherever and whenever I can.

And this month’s Presidential Playlist entries:

With or Without You, U2 – it had to be, having been so recently in Dublin.

Somewhere, Runrig – for two reasons, one because keeping track of where I am is increasingly tricky but I’m always somewhere, but also in honour of a favourite and a great musician, Bruce Guthro, former lead singer of Runrig, who sadly died in September. RIP Bruce: your voice will be missed.