About Bristol Law Society
PRESS RELEASE - 4 FEBRUARY 2010
NEW PARTNERSHIP TO BENEFIT LAW FIRMS IN SOUTH WEST
Central Law Training and Bristol Law Society join forces
Central Law Training (CLT), the UK’s largest professional and legal training provider, and Bristol Law Society (BLS), the UK’s oldest law society, today announce a strategic alliance to provide support and training services to law firms in the South West of England.
CLT will be the exclusive provider of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training to BLS members as part of both organisations’ commitment to servicing the local legal community.
The partnership aims to support law firms in the Bristol and Bath region by giving them access to a broader range of training courses at preferential rates.
As well as improving value for money for Bristol Law Society’s member firms in the South West, their employees will benefit from a greater choice of webinars and online training programmes.
Paul Whitehouse, Director, Central Law Training, said:
“Our collaboration with the Bristol Law Society is a significant addition to our large network of partnerships that includes 12 other law societies in the UK. By working together, rather than competing with BLS, we aim to improve the quality and number of virtual and practical training opportunities available to lawyers in the South West. We hope that our programme of webinars – the biggest currently available in the UK - will appeal to young lawyers in particular”.
Michael Lind, President, Bristol Law Society, said:
“We’re delighted to have agreed a partnership that will significantly boost our membership offering. CLT’s expertise and experience as the UK’s largest training provider make it an obvious choice for this strategic alliance.
“We strive to ensure that our member firms get real value for their membership, from both a commercial and professional development perspective. Our collaboration helps us achieve this by giving those firms access to the highest quality legal development and educational programmes”.
PRESS RELEASE – 25 NOVEMBER 2009
ADR Group CEO appointed as President of Bristol Law Society
Michael Lind, CEO of the ADR Group, was appointed today as the 139th President of the Bristol Law Society, the oldest local law society in England originally formed in 1770.
The Bristol Law Society represents one of the strongest legal centres outside of the city of London with over 1200 corporate and individual members and a number of firms employing more than 100 solicitors. Bristol law firms have a proud reputation of providing first class legal services that are very competitive to the high costs of city based firms. They represent numerous FTSE and AIM listed companies and also provide an impressive array of expertise for international corporate transactions and disputes.
Lind, a qualified solicitor and mediator, is the first President to be appointed who comes from a business background. For the last ten years Lind has held corporate positions within the ADR Group, the UK’s oldest commercial mediation organisation based in Bristol. Lind says that he is looking forward to the challenges of working with and representing the interests of all legal professionals in the greater Bristol and Bath areas.
“Bristol is the proud home of many leading national law firms providing cutting edge legal services for clients around the country and internationally. Equally important are the vast number of smaller firms and sole practitioners who provide valuable legal advice and guidance to small businesses and individuals who drive the local economy. It is a great honour to be elected by the Bristol legal community to represent them over the next year. Law firms have not escaped the effects of the recession and it is my aim to try and help our legal community and their clients emerge from the recession as positively as possible.”
Please see below for further information.
ABOUT BRISTOL LAW SOCIETY
Bristol Law Society (BLS) is the oldest local law society in the country, even outdating the national Law Society in Chancery Lane. It was founded in 1770 when a group of local practitioners got together to share the cost of books. This innovative approach has continued through the years and has resulted in BLS being acknowledged as one of the most progressive and active local law societies in the country. The Society’s modern offices and library are in Bristol’s commercial centre, next door to the Crown Courts in Small Street, ideally placed for those members who spend much of their time in and around courts or visiting Counsel.
Governance: The Society is governed by a President, two Vice Presidents, other officers and a Council of solicitors who reflect the profession as a whole
Representation: BLS is an active member of the Association of South Western Law Societies and the Joint 4 (with Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester Law Societies) through which officers meet regularly with their counterparts. These liaisons offer a wider view of the needs and requirements of the profession and create particularly strong lobbying forces. Effective communication channels are maintained with Chancery Lane, the judiciary, the Lord Chancellor’s Department, the local Bar, the local authorities, advice agencies, academic institutions, organisations from the voluntary sector, consumer bodies and other professional and commercial bodies. We are also regularly involved in consultations with the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and Legal Complaints Service.
Services: Bristol Law Society provides a range of services to its members including a library, an annual programme of courses and seminars and a legal recruitment consultancy.
Events: Throughout the year a number of events are organised for members including a Charity Quiz, Summer Party, charity Golf Day, the Annual Dinner and Legal Sunday celebrations. These events are both very successful, well attended and offer the opportunity for members to meet others in the profession and network with other professionals in Bristol.
Membership: There are two categories of membership of Bristol Law Society. Full Membership is open to fully-qualified solicitors who are on the Law Society Roll and who live or work within a 30-mile radius of Bristol. Associate Membership is open to other members of the legal profession including Trainee Solicitors, Barristers, Pupils, ILEX members and solicitors outside the 30-mile Bristol radius. Associate Members enjoy all the benefits of membership but cannot attend/vote at the AGM or become a member of Council.
For further information please contact Rosie Torre, Business & Recruitment Manager, at Bristol Law Society, The Law Library, The Law Courts, Small Street, Bristol, BS1 1DA Telephone - (0117) 976 3086 Email - r.torre@bristollawsociety.com
PRESIDENT AND COUNCIL
The members of BLS elect a President and two Vice Presidents annually at the AGM in November. The President's role is to represent the Society on all formal occasions both around the UK and abroad, and to Chair the Council and Executive meetings, which determine BLS policy.
2010 President, Executive and Council:
President: Michael Lind
Vice President: Simon Staples
Honorary Treasurer: Richard Gore
Honorary Secretary: Kerstin Scheel
Council members:
Mr James Aveline
Mr John Baden-Daintree
Mr Alex Bevan
Ms Lucinda Bromfield
Mr Nick Dell
Ms Judith Ellery
Mr Simon Fisher
Mr Lee Hamer
Ms Kerry James
Mr Kane Kirkbride
Mr Rodney King
Mr Gary Lightwood
Mr Ashley Palminteri
Mr Robert Pope
Mr Rupert Scrase
Mr Michael Simpson
Prof. Bhupinder Singh
Mr Leon Smith
Mr James Taylor
Mr Ian Kelcey
Mr John Moriarty