Welcome to my first newsletter as President of the Newcastle upon Tyne Law Society (NLS). I was elected at the AGM on the 17^th March and became the Society's 199th President. Firstly, I wanted to say a big thank you to Nigel Emmerson our now immediate Past President whom I have shadowed over this past year. During his term in office Nigel has done a great deal to reinvigorate the Newcastle Law Society and they are certainly big shoes to fill. Congratulations to Lesley Fairclough, our new Vice President and also to Clare Hurst, our new Deputy Vice President. I look forward to working with them both during my term in office.

It is a great honour to be elected as your President, particularly during the Bicentennial year of the National Law Society. Whilst we are based in Newcastle, we currently cover a large area including County Durham, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and Northumberland. People are at the heart of everything we do as Solicitors - our clients, our teams and our community. One of the reasons why I have been able to volunteer my time to the Law Society is to provide support to the wider legal community. The legal community upon which this Law Society is built is something we should be rightly proud of here in the North East and Cumbria and something that I am hoping to support and grow during my year in office.

Indeed my theme for my presidency year is Growth both in terms of the Legal Sector as a whole but also the Newcastle Upon Tyne Law Society itself.  

I am also very proud to be the very first President of Newcastle upon Tyne Law Society from my firm Burnetts Solicitors. Although Burnetts has a long tradition of being involved in the local Law Society in Carlisle. I am also very proud to be a Partner and Brain Injury Lead in our Newcastle Office part of the wider Medical Negligence and Serious Injury Team.

I am very proud also to be a Claimant Personal Injury solicitor and I have over 24 years’ experience in supporting clients with serious personal injury claims following brain injury, spinal cord injuries and amputations arising mainly out of road traffic collisions, accidents at work and assaults. It is an immense privilege to be the trusted legal adviser of someone who has sustained life changing injuries and be on hand to support them and their families through the legal process and help them recover by securing the best possible rehabilitation, equipment, accommodation and support. 

I also have had the privilege for many years to support various brain injury charities both on a local and national level. Indeed, I served as Secretary for the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum (UKABIF) for over 15 years which included a lot of campaign work in Parliament for better access to Brain Injury treatment and support across the UK.  I am still the Secretary of the Northern Acquired Brain Injury Forum (NABIF) which covers the whole of the Northeast and Cumbria providing a forum for best practice for those working in the field of Acquired Brain Injury. I am also the Chair of Headway Wearside, a local charity that aims to provide information, support and social activities for Acquired brain injury survivors, their families and carers.

We have an exciting year ahead planned with lots of events and activities with some of those being listed in this very Newsletter. Please do get involved and encourage your firm or others to do likewise and join as members. Please also follow our page on LinkedIn.

Finally, my President's Charity this year is the Child Brain Injury Trust. Whilst the Child Brain Injury Trust is a national charity working with families across the UK who are affected by childhood acquired brain injuries, they also support families across our region from the Royal Victoria Infirmary and other hospitals, schools and in the community – providing support when it is needed the most. You will be hearing from the Child Brain Injury Trust at various points during the next 12 months.

If you would like any more information about any of the above, please contact mail@newcastlelawsociety.co.uk.