The History of The Leicestershire Law Society

The History of The Leicestershire Law Society

Foreword to the First (2010) Edition.

I am delighted that Professor David Hughes has written this book to celebrate 150 years of the Leicestershire Law Society. It gives me an even greater pleasure that the 150th anniversary coincides with my own tenure as the President of the Law Society.

Although born in Yorkshire I have made the East Midlands my home. I worked in the region before becoming a Council Member for Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland in 2003.

As a Council Member I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with many of the hard working, dedicated and skilled individuals who make up the Leicestershire Law Society. Professor Hughes’s account brings to life a similar picture of our predecessors; dedicated professionals whose commitment to the practice and the rule of law was absolute. His book is an informative and detailed account of the Leicestershire Law Society’s 150 year history of good practice. And it will continue to remind me what a privilege it is to represent the hardworking legal professionals of this constituency.

Professor Hughes skilfully traces the changes that the Leicestershire Law Society has had to undergo to continue to meet the needs of the legal profession in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. That continual process of development is the one thing that hasn’t changed throughout 150 years, here, or across the country.

What is new, however, is the rate of change that we face. As a profession, we have all had to adapt to rapid changes in practices brought about by the increasing demands from consumer pressure and the rate of change of technology. We are under increasing pressure to find instant solutions to complex legal problems; sometimes with little understanding from the wider public.

As this book shows, throughout the last 150 years we have always managed to respond positively to the challenges that we face, bound by our commitment to common ethical standards and motivated by our common desire to see the rule of law upheld.

I have promised to dedicate my Presidential year to promoting the excellence of the profession, the importance of our values and ethical standards. It is my personal belief that the legal profession plays a vital role at the very heart of society and commerce. I congratulate Professor Hughes on writing a book which illustrates so clearly that this has always been the case.

Linda Lee

Former Law Society President