A welcome from our new President
As I step into the role of President of the Law Society for Hertfordshire, I am so very grateful to the immediate past president Diana Kirsh, for asking me to be her VP in 2023. I have already learned so much from watching Diana in the role last year and in also watching Steve Hamilton in 2022 (previous past president). It truly is a Law Society that is incredibly supportive of each other.
One of the things that draws me to Hertfordshire’s Law Society is that it was formed in May 1883 and is steeped in traditional and formalities, which are honoured at all meetings and at the Annual Dinner’s at Hatfield House.
We have committed to keeping the membership costs at the same level as previous years (£45) and I hope to encourage more of the local firms in and around Hertfordshire to join us this year, to benefit from our events and training and to be a part of this wonderful society and its traditions.
As well as increasing members, I hope to be able to shine a light on two issues very important to me (and hopefully to you all too); legal aid and domestic abuse.
LASPO cuts had an absolutely devastating impact on the access to justice for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities and the notion of saving costs and freeing up court time has not been borne out. In fact, court cases are taking longer to conclude and that has had a very real impact on the costs (increasing them, not saving them). I hope to be able to do my part to shine the light on the need to restore funding for legal aid matters, to include early legal advice and as my VP this year – Massimo Trebar – is a criminal defence lawyer, I am sure he will be as keen as me to get involved in all discussions around repairing legal aid.
Domestic abuse continues to be a societal problem that we need to keep talking about, keep striving for better education around and develop understanding of some of the more subtle tactics of abuse; including abuse tactics via the very legal system that is there to protect them. There are lots of campaigns and initiatives that I hope to shed light on and get involved with this year and look forward to seeing what can be achieved.
Here is a picture of me receiving the chain (gavel and cup) from the immediate past president, Diana Kirsh. If you want to be at the forefront of news for our Law Society, please follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter (@82ladyk); as well as the Law Society’s own social media platforms, including our website.
Thank you in advance for your support in my year as President.
3.1.24
