Welcome to the latest edition of the Newcastle News.  The new Legal Year has commenced we represented the region at two events in Newcastle and York.

The Newcastle Legal Service and Letters Patent took place at St Nicholas Cathedral on the evening of 3^rd September.  The service followed a procession from the Law Courts to the Cathedral.  The York Matins and the North Eastern Legal Circuit Annual Legal Service took place at York Minster on 13^th October.  Pictures from the York service are included below.  Both events were grand and historic at which I believe it is important for Newcastle Law Society to be represented.  Our history and traditions are an important part of our status as a profession.

In between the two services on 8^th October I attended an event at Chancery Lane to mark the end of the term of the President of the Law Society.  We then hosted our major event of the year, the Annual Dinner, at The Grand Hotel, Gosforth Park on 11^th October.  It was a fantastic event, thank you to all who attended and contributed to its success.  In particular I would like to thank our guests of honour, the Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear Ms Lucy Winskill OBE, the Immediate Past President of the Law Society of England and Wales Nick Emmerson and our brilliant Director of Operations Sanchia Coatsworth and her team who organised the event. 

I thought it would be useful if I reproduced my speech from the evening which sets out how I see the role of the Newcastle Law Society:

"Good evening.  When I became President of the Newcastle upon Tyne Law Society in March this year, a number of people asked me “what does the Newcastle Law Society do” and “is the Newcastle Law Society relevant in today’s world?”   After 7 months in the role I believe the Society performs a number of valuable roles which include Representation, Promotion, Succession, Preservation, Education and Social.  I will briefly explain these categories.

First of all, Representation.  The Society has around 800 members and we regularly speak to our members to learn about the issues which they are concerned about.  We then make representations to such bodies as the national Law Society, local and national government and to other interested parties. 

There are a number of very live issues which affect the profession in the region ranging from consultation on the new Conveyancing TA6 form to the parlous state of legal aid and the court system to the ramifications of the failure of Axiom Ince including the potential loss of solicitor client accounts. 

We think it is essential that solicitors in the region have an organisation to speak for them.

The second role is Promotion.  We have a fantastic legal sector in the region and one of my aims as President has been to grow the sector as a key part of the wider professional services sector. 

There is still a lot of North East legal work which is conducted out of the region.  One of the reasons for this is a lack of appreciation of the skills and resource which the region has. 

Newcastle Law Society is actively promoting our services through such initiatives as the Managing Partner/Head of Office Forum, discussions with the North East Combined Authority and the establishment of a North East LegalTech sector. 

We hope our a greater profile and awareness will lead to more legal work being retained in the region.

Next, Succession.  We work with our junior members and future solicitors to encourage them to pursue a career in the Law and become a solicitor in the region. 

We have been delighted to team with a reinvigorated Junior Lawyers Division under President Pete Black.  We speak to the lawyers of tomorrow and next month Pete and I are due to present to law students at Newcastle College. 

As we will have seen from the award winners and Newly Qualified Solicitors tonight the future is certainly bright. 

Preservation.  Whilst we have worked hard to make the Society as current as possible through such matters as increased social media activity and monthly electronic newsletters, we believe that it is essential that we preserve our history and traditions.  This is particularly relevant given that we will celebrate our 200th anniversary in 2026. 

Our profession, its integrity and the preservation of the Rule of Law is extremely important in this day and age, especially when we have recently come under attack for a variety of sources. 

Education.  In pre-Covid days the Society ran a number of in person courses.  The advent of online provision saw a decline in demand for training.  However, we have hosted a number of courses this year, both online and in person and in conjunction with our County Society Group colleagues. 

We have been delighted to see increased take up of these sessions, particularly those held in person.

Social.  I have left arguably the most important role, our social activities, to last.

When I was given the honour of becoming your President I was not sure how important this function would be.  Would there be a demand for social events in a post Covid world?

I am delighted to report that there has been a tremendous take up of our events.  Our Annual Lecture was very well attended, the Area Visits very popular and the Garden Party and the Dinner tonight have sold out. 

As I have mentioned we have spent a lot of time travelling around our region and listening to our members.  One piece of feedback which we have heard a lot is the feeling that the Law can become a lonely place at times.  Whilst flexible working and working for home have been fantastic developments they can lead to isolation.  Our discussions with LawCare have reinforced this feedback.

Members went on to tell us that they therefore really value the social interaction which Newcastle Law Society provides.  I believe this partly explains the enthusiasm and excellent attendance which we have seen this year and reinforces why social activities are an essential part of the Society's role.

In conclusion I hope I have answered the question of "what does the Newcastle Law Society do” and have shown that the Society is very much relevant in today's world.  Thank you very much for your support tonight and throughout the year, it is greatly appreciated."

On 23 October we hosted a Cybercrime event as part of our building LegalTech initiative in partnership with the Northern Society for Chartered Accountants (NORSCA). We heard from Northumbria Police’s Cyber Crime Prepare and Protect Team, Northumbria University and Amiqus.

Please see the Events page on our website Events - Newcastle Law Society for further information on the above and other events which you can attend.

If you would like any more information about any of the above please contact mail@newcastlelawsociety.co.uk.  Please remember to follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with developments - Newcastle Upon Tyne Law Society: Overview | LinkedIn