19/02/2015

1

Welcome to Meet the president

18 February 2015

The Law Society, Chancery Lane

Programme overview

12:45 - 13:30 Arrival and light lunch

13:30 - 13:40 Parliamentary / manifesto

13:40 - 13:50 My Law Society

13:50 - 13:55 Consumer campaign

13:55 - 14:05 Questions and answers

14:05 - 14:20 PAS case study and library

14:20 - 14:30 Communities

14:30 - 14:40 Questions and answers

14:40 - 15:00 Afternoon tea

15:00 - 15:10 Regulation

15:10 - 15:20 Rule of law campaign

15:20 - 15:30 Questions and answers

15:30 - 16:15 Question time with Andrew Caplen and Catherine Dixon

16:15 - 17:00 Tour of the building

Parliamentary update / manifesto

Richard Messingham, head of Public Affairs

19/02/2015

2

How the Society influences politics

Richard Messingham

Head of Public Affairs

richard.messingham@lawsociety.org.uk

Meeting important ministers?

Having a drink with Nigel?

19/02/2015

3

Making our voice heard?

Kissing babies?

The way we live now

• Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition

formed in May 2010 – first since 1940-45

• Scottish Referendum, September 2014

• Clacton and Rochester & Strood by-elections –

the unstoppable rise of UKIP?

• General Election, 7 May 2015

• EU Referendum 2017, or earlier?

19/02/2015

4

Government and Parliament- facts

• Coalition government since 2010

• 650 MPs - working majority of 75

303 Conservatives

56 Liberal Democrats

• Official opposition of 257 Labour MPs

• House of Lords – 790 peers, no government majority

• 100+ MPs and Peers are legally qualified

Who does the Society influence?

• Politicians - MPs, Peers, AMs, MEPs, Ministers

• Governing and opposition parties

• Political advisers and researchers

• Civil servants and government representatives

• Political parties and their members

• Other stakeholders and influencers

What do we influence?

• Legislation

• Public policy

• Party policy, e.g the Manifesto

• Political opinion

• Stakeholder attitudes and perceptions

19/02/2015

5

Why do we influence?

• To represent the interests of the legal

profession directly to decision makers

• To protect the long term interests of the Law

Society as the representative voice of the

profession

• To improve the legal, economic and political

framework our members work within

Where do we influence?

• London - UK Parliament and Government

• Cardiff – Welsh Assembly and Welsh

Government

• Brussels – EU institutions

• Elsewhere – international institutions, overseas

Government’s, regional UK events, etc

When do we influence?

• When the time is right

• Key events

– Party Conferences

– General Election

– Budget statement

– Queen’s Speech

• Proactive and reactive

19/02/2015

6

How do we influence?

• Influencing plans

• 1-2-1 meetings

• Events

• Networking

• Written briefings and submissions

Example –

• Issue: the MoJ proposes in the LASPO Bill to make

significant cuts and changes to civil legal aid and

civil litigation costs

Example –

• What we did;

• established a branded campaign

• established a broad coalition of legal and non

legal groups – WI, Law Centres Federation, Unite

the Union, Netmums, etc

• briefed MPs, Peers and their advisers at every

stage, including proposing amendments and

evidence to select committees

• stunts and public protests

• encouraged members to campaign locally and

lobby their MPs

• commissioned independent economic analysis –

King’s College report

19/02/2015

7

My Law Society

Jonathan Boutinot, senior business analyst

Paula McMahon, Web Publishing manager

What is it?

MyLawSociety

A single gateway through which members and non-members can personalise their

experience with the Law Society, purchase or renew products and services, access

bespoke content and manage their Find a Solicitor profile

Authentication

Personalisation

Find A Solicitor self-service update individual & branch

profile

Personalised MyLawSociety

homepage

Personalisation of e-comms

• Register/Login

• Manage Interests

• Manage

Communication

preferences

• Access services

Feb 15

Feb 15

Q2 15

tbc Online payment gateway

Online Event booking/CPD

centre

Section membership

Dec 15

Q2 15

TLS CRM

Members & non-

members

Data collection

Visual demonstration

• Registration process – members vs. non-members

• Managing preferences

• Managing Interests

• Personalised content – the ‘My Law Society’ homepage

19/02/2015

8

Registration

How to register with My Law Society

• To log on to My Law Society for the first time you need to create a

user name and password and complete a short registration process.

• My Law Society and MySRA are separate services requiring different

log in details.

• You will need your MySRA login details once to register with My Law

Society.

• We will use the MySRA data you provide once to verify your identity

with the SRA and activate My Law Society member only services

(such as editing your profile on Find a Solicitor). We will not store

your mySRA data.

• We will not send data you provide on My Law Society or Find a

Solicitor to the SRA.

MLS launch & communication

Messaging

Why register with My Law Society?

• The Law Society web site is free. But by registering you will help us

understand who are readers are, and which web content you find

most useful.

• Registration is open to everyone, but some services and content are

only available to registered Law Society members.

Benefits to members

• Self service - add more information to your Find a Solicitor profile

• A personalised homepage - customise the content based on your

interests

• Bookmarking - save important pages for later

• Marketing preferences - tell us how you want to receive information

about our products and services

19/02/2015

9

Communication

Soft launch (early March)

• Insight panel, Internal stakeholders, Council Members and volunteers,

Regional Managers

Full launch (mid/late March, dependent on FAS launch)

• TLS Website Carousel, News story on SRA website, Press release,

Social Media, Note to local law societies, RMs briefing stakeholders,

Professional Update

• Video explaining “how to”

Targeted promotion (April/May onward)

• Programme of targeted communication based on FAS traffic data,

search terms and anecdotal knowledge. Examples:

- Spring is popular house buying season, target conveyancers to

update your FAS profile in April

- family lawyers busy in January, update your FAS profile in December

-

My Law Society – future services

• Commenting functionality

• Council member and regional manager profiles based on self service

interests and location

• Ecommunications preference settings – for newsletters

• Premium content

Single sign on for:

• Event booking

• CPD events

• Community memberships and access to premium content

• Accreditations – renewal reminders, access to promotional materials

(eg, accredited logos)

• Ecommerce

Consumer campaign

Mike Browne, interim head of Communications

19/02/2015

10

The campaign has two broad objectives

• For the public - explain to members of the public, including SMEs, the needs which can be served by solicitors, and educate them on how to access service and support from a solicitor, and the benefits of using a solicitor.

• For members - improve members’ confidence that the Law Society is meeting their expectations to represent, promote and support them - especially in generating new business.

Objectives

• PR

• Social media

• 4 news ads on ITV player

• 6 new expert focus videos on YouTube

• Online advertising

• Outdoor advertising on buses

Campaign tools – phase 2

Videos

Trewithin Dairy business ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9unLH11ji90&list=PLSgsXj8W8-

CauPxPy58fG0S2E37ygYYTU&index=10

Divorce ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsx0JsefpTA

19/02/2015

11

31

33

19/02/2015

12

Questions / comments

34

Questions?

PAS study case and the library

Michael Maher, Library Services manager

Sherylea Walmsley, Membership Services/Support Centre

manager

19/02/2015

13

Law Society Library

Michael Maher, Library Services manager

Law Society Library

• What do we have

• What do we do

• How can we support you

What do we have – Collection

• Hard copy

– One of the largest, comprehensive collection of legal

materials in the UK

– 55,000 volumes – up-to-date as well as historic

– Reference only? Can provide copies of articles, forms…

– Corporate Archive

• Electronic

– Online services

• Lexis, Westlaw, Justis

– Social Media - Twitter

• Library Knowledge Base

19/02/2015

14

What do we have – Library

• The Library

• English Heritage Grade II

listed interior

• Hard copy collection

• PCs for Google and email

• Access to commercial

online

• Library staff

• Photocopiers

• WiFi

What do we do - 1

• Enquiries

• 10,980 enquiries in 2014

– By email

– By telephone

– Face-to-face

• Enquiries from all types of members

– Top 100

– Sole practitioners

– In-house...

In-House 1%

Govt 1%

Other 16%

Sole Practitioner

10%

2-10 Partners 42%

11-25 Partners

17%

26+ Partners 13%

Enquires by Organisation

What do we do - 1

• Enquiries

• All types of enquiries

– Legislation

– Law reports

– Precedent material etc.

Mainly to do with the law but not always...

Legislation 5%

Case Law 12%

Journals 6%

Precedents 13% EU

0%

Corp Archive 2%

Parliamentary 1% History/Family

2%

IT 16%

PC/Copyright 11%

General 10%

Legal Research

6%

Text Books 16%

Enquiries by Type

19/02/2015

15

What do we do - 1

• Enquiries

• From everywhere

– All regions of England

– Wales

– The world

What do we do - 2

• Lawdocs

– Our popular document delivery service

– Copies of precedents, law reports,

legislation, articles and commentary

from books are emailed to members for

a small fee

– Orders can be placed by telephone or

email

What do we do 3,4, and 5

• Corporate Archive

• Events

• Tours

19/02/2015

16

How can we support your members

• Research

• Document delivery

• Access to the internet/somewhere to work

• Training?

Contact Details

• Call 020 7320 5946

• Email library@lawsociety.org.uk

• Twitter @LSlawlibrary

• Open 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday-Friday

Thanks for listening

19/02/2015

17

Practice Advice Service (PAS) Shery Walmsley, Membership Services and Support

Centre Manager

Law Society Helplines

Your direct line to our solicitor staffed helplines for advice

on legal practice and procedure

Practice Advice Service (PAS)

We provide free confidential advice on legal practice and

procedure to member firms.

Areas of law covered; • AML

• Conveyancing

• Private Client

• Litigation

• Solicitors’ Costs

• Lenders’ Panels

• And much more …

19/02/2015

18

PAS Facts

• We have been supporting

solicitors for over 25 years.

• All members of the team are

solicitors who have worked in

private practice.

• In 2014 we dealt with

approximately 32,000

enquiries.

Other Law Society Helplines

• In addition to the main Practice Advice helpline the team also

operate a number of other helplines for Solicitors

• Lawyerline - deals with all your queries on client care, complaints

handling and how to deal with the Legal Ombudsman.

• PII Helpline - Assistance with questions on professional

indemnity insurance.

• Pastoral Care - Referral service to help members with personal,

professional, financial and employment problems.

•

Supporting our members

We regularly receive positive feedback from members who have

found our service invaluable;

“I was delighted to be able to speak to someone immediately who clearly

understood private practice and could give me an immediate response to my

situation”

“I think that PAS is an excellent tool for solicitors not based in London. PAS

gives clear, concise and effective advice.”

At http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/about-us/annual-review/support/ you can

view a short video of the director of Mackenzie Jones Solicitors, discussing

how the PAS team assisted his firm.

19/02/2015

19

Contact Details

Call 0207 320 5675

Email practiceadvice@lawsociety.org.uk

Opening hours 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday

For more information about the Practice Advice Service

please visit our website www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-

services/helplines/practice-advice-service/

Communities

Steve Gauke, interim head of Communities

Communities

Divisions

• Junior Lawyers Division

• Women's Lawyers

Division

• Lawyers with Disabilities

Division

• Ethnic Minorities Division

• Small Firms Division

• In-house Division

Sections

• Law Management Section

• Competition Section

• Private Client Section

• Property Section

• Civil Justice Section

• Family Section

• Advocacy Section

19/02/2015

20

Communities – The Team

• 7 Product Managers

• 4 Editors

• Performance Analyst

• Co-ordinator

• Community Committees/Advisory Panels

Communities - Objectives

Enabling members to excel in role

• Providing members with the latest news and information

• Providing members with impartial commentary on key

issues

• Providing members with practical guidance on key issues

• Enabling members to network and learn from each other

• Influencing changes in law and practice

Communities – Typical Activities

• Regional Seminars

• Roundtable Discussions

• Networking Events

• Annual Conference

• Consultations

• Commentary

• Webinars

• E-newsletters

• Quarterly Magazine

• Podcasts

19/02/2015

21

Communities – Key Facts

• Over 6,000 Section Members

• 90 Events/Seminars

• 8 Conferences

• 40 Webinars

• 75 E-newsletters

• 20 Magazines/Publications

Communities – 2015 Plans

• Enhanced Websites

• Online Forums

• Social Media

• Regional Activities

• Strategic Partnerships

Careers

• Provides support at the beginning and throughout the

‘lifecycle’ of solicitor. Enables potential and existing TLS

members to make informed choices throughout their

career

• Students (school, undergraduates, QLTS and LPC)

– Events

– Website

– Guidance on realities of qualifying

• Existing Members

– Workshops

– Training

– Seminars

19/02/2015

22

Questions?

Afternoon tea

14:40 – 15:00

Regulation

Simon Garrod, head of Regulatory Affairs

19/02/2015

23

Professional Indemnity Insurance

• Why discuss now?

Recent regulatory activity.

More expected from SRA in April

Integral to current regulatory model for solicitors

Integral to the ‘solicitor brand’

An important strand to address in the context of re-

assessing the current regulatory framework

PII

• Overview of features

• Future

• What is the Society doing?

Client financial protections

• Compulsory professional indemnity insurance (PII)

• Compensation Fund

For firms - PII Minimum terms and Conditions (MTC) for

compulsory cover provide considerable indemnity for firms

and partners and, therefore, redress to clients in the event

of negligence arising.

For Clients - additional safety net provided by the

profession through the Compensation Fund, financed by

contributions made by the profession.

19/02/2015

24

Compulsory PII - Benefits

• (a) to protect the professional, who in any case is

liable under law for negligence; and

• (b) if there is negligence, to provide for recompense

for the consumer.

• Enables: Safeguarding confidence in the Profession as a

whole. Clients not expected to take out their own

insurance.

Features of PII MTC

• Civil liability arising from private legal practice.

• Defence costs related to claims.

• Firm, its principals and employees covered.

• Cover on a 'claims made' basis.

• Run off cover for six years after closure of the firm.

Compensation Fund

• Discretionary fund to which all solicitors contribute.

• Existed since 1942 as a safety net for 'widows and

orphans'.

• Set up by Parliament "for the purpose of relieving or

mitigating losses sustained by any person in

consequence of dishonesty on the part of the

solicitor"'.

19/02/2015

25

Summing up our protections

PII + Compensation Fund =

• Embraces many interests; Profession and Consumer.

• The Profession has always supported itself.

• Overall regime re-enforces trust and confidence in the

Profession whilst protecting individual solicitors and

their clients.

SRA proposed changes to PII

• Law Society lobbied successfully against SRA's proposal

to lower the minimum level of PII cover to £500,000.

LSB agreed with is and said no.

• Main concern: greater exposure for vast majority of

firms including the small firms it was intended to help.

• Clients would be at risk of exposure. Potentially harm

to historic trust between the public and the profession

SRA proposed changes to PII

• LSB did approve (November 2014) new regulatory

Outcome :

- firms must assess and purchase an appropriate level

of PII cover.

• SRA to produce guidance.

19/02/2015

26

SRA proposed changes to PII

• Next PII Proposals:

SRA timetable for announcing next round of reforms

slipped to spring 2015.

• Solicitors’ Indemnity Fund:

December 2014 SRA Board turned down Law Society

request to extend post six-year run-off cover provided

by SIF from 2020 to 2023.

What is Law Society doing to help

and support members?

• Successfully lobbied against other SRA proposals for:

An aggregation cap on insurers' exposure.

Reducing run-off cover from six years to three.

Responded to SRA Call for Evidence on client protections by setting

out what work SRA must do to establish a case for reforms and to

avoid unintended consequences. Echoed in LSB decision.

Argued that client financial protections must be considered

holistically – LSB agreed.

What is Law Society doing to help

and support members?

• Continuing to advise early renewal.

• Majority of firms have renewed their insurance.

• Uninsureds:

January 49 firms not renewed.

Less than the 136 firms last year.

19/02/2015

27

What Next?

• Replacing SIF & barriers to retirement.

• Engagement Programme.

• Annual PII Survey (due end of March).

• Consulting the Profession

Rule of law campaign

Robert Khan, head of Law Reform

Questions?

19/02/2015

28

Question time

with Andrew Caplen and Catherine Dixon

Role Of the President

Andrew Caplen, president, Law Society for England and

Wales

Purpose of the President

• To champion and lead the profession.

• To represent the profession to Government, the media

and other external bodies.

• To be an ambassador for the profession and the Society.

• To lead the Council of the Society.

• To set the objectives for the CEO and provide guidance

and support when required.

19/02/2015

29

President’s Role in Council

• To Chair the Council of the Society.

• To build effective lines of communication between the

organisation, the Office Holders and Council.

• To serve ex officio on a number of Boards, such as

Management, Membership, Legal Affairs, Policy,

Business Oversight and Regulatory Affairs.

President’s Role in The Law Society

• To take forward Law Society policy, along with the

Chief Executive and other Office Holders.

• To set objectives, and conduct appraisals for, the Chief

Executive.

• To work in conjunction with Law Society staff on the

Presidential Plan.

Presidential Plan

• A number of areas within the Society’s corporate

priorities which the President would like to personally

lend his / her weight to.

• Presidential priorities for 2014 /2015:

o Access to Justice.

o Diversity and Inclusion.

o Membership Engagement.

19/02/2015

30

President’s External Role

• Lobbying Parliament.

• Meeting with stakeholders, such as the SRA and LSB.

• Represent the profession abroad in a ceremonial and

lobbying capacity. Representing:

• Our values - through work such as human rights

interventions.

• Our interests – by opening up jurisdictions and

promoting England and Wales as the jurisdiction

of choice.

Conclusion

• “Business as usual”.

• Spontaneous issues and “Events”.

• Known special occasions.

• President’s themes.

Questions?