New Law Society President ready for challenges of year ahead

The incoming President of the Law Society of Scotland has pledged to fight for the independence of the legal profession from government, describing this as a critical time for the profession and the rule of law in Scotland.

Sheila Webster, a commercial litigation solicitor, takes up the presidency from Murray Etherington at a meeting of the Law Society’s governing Council today, 19 May, with NHS Scotland solicitor Susan Murray becoming the new Vice President.

Sheila, who is Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution at Davidson Chalmers Stewart, has been a member of the Society’s Council since 2017 and its Board since 2020. She becomes the Society’s 60th President and sixth female President.

She said: “It’s an honour to take up the role of the President of the Law Society of Scotland and at what is a critical time for the legal profession.

“We have new legislation before the Scottish Parliament that seriously undermines the independence of the legal profession from the state. It would give Ministers sweeping and unprecedented new powers to intervene and control the work of solicitors. This kind of political interference simply cannot be right in a free and fair society that adheres to the rule of law, and I’ll be fighting hard as president to get these parts of the Bill removed.

“We also need to use this legislation to get the reforms and improvements to regulation which we’ve been championing for years. Ensuring high standards across the solicitor profession and robust consumer protections is an important part of the Society’s work and the Bill offers an opportunity to bring about real, positive change for the legal profession and those who rely on our services.

“Likewise, while we support aims to deliver a more person-centred approach to practices within the Scottish criminal justice system, we think aspects of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill proposals are seriously flawed and the desire to see change must not be at the expense of a fair, just and open criminal justice system.”

Sheila added: “While the two Bills will be a dominant feature of the year ahead, I’m also determined to engage in other important issues that affect the future health of the profession, including equality and diversity, and recruitment and succession, particularly in the legal aid sector.

“I’m really proud to be the sixth female president of the Society, but we know there’s an issue with women not reaching senior levels in the same numbers as they enter the profession. I want to try and understand more about why that is and what the Society can do to help. I also want to engage with our new members early on in their careers, and hopefully inspire some of our future leaders to get involved with the Society’s work.

“I’m looking forward to engaging with as many solicitors as possible, from high street practices to big firms and in-house, and hearing their views on the key topics facing us and the public we serve, not least the two Bills recently introduced by the Scottish Government.

“I am taking up the presidency at a time of change and would like to take this opportunity to thank Murray for his fantastic efforts across a decidedly eventful year. I look forward to his continuing support as Past President and to working with our new Vice President Susan Murray.”

The Law Society’s new Vice President, Susan Murray, is an in-house solicitor at NHS Scotland. She joined the Society’s Council in 2017 and became a Board member in 2019. Susan is also the current Convener of the Society’s Equality and Diversity Committee.

She said: “I feel incredibly privileged to be taking on the role of Vice President and am very much looking forward to working with Sheila and supporting her during her presidency.

“This is a critical time for the Law Society and there are some significant challenges ahead. This includes ensuring the new bill on legal services regulation can bring positive change and modernise regulation so that public trust in the legal profession remains high, while allowing Scotland’s legal sector to thrive.

“A key part of the role for me will also be working with more of our members, including in-house colleagues, and ensuring we can support them to do what they do best in serving their clients and their organisations with their legal knowledge and skills.

“There is so much good work being carried out by the Society around equality and diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and support for those entering the profession, however I recognise there is still a lot to do and I am committed to working closely with Sheila in influencing and driving positive change in this important area.”