Fiona Woolf

With major changes in the profession afoot on the back of Carter and Clementi, there could have been a less turbulent time for you to take up your post. Do you feel daunted by these challenges?

I thrive on change. In fact, it was the Clementi Review that persuaded me to throw my hat into the ring for president. The separation of regulation from representation really puts our representative work in the spotlight. I am delighted to be the first president to take office fully in this new era. An important part of my work will be to appeal to solicitors who are not engaged with the Law Society so that we can understand and meet their needs. Over the next year, I am determined to promote and protect the interests of all solicitors with vigour and tenacity.

You ran a consultation on what the profession wanted from the Society in a representative role recently '“ what did they say?

We have raised expectations through the 'Have Your Say' consultation, which received a staggering 19,000 responses from solicitors; 91 per cent said they wanted a national professional body to represent them and they want it to be the Law Society. We must now create a Law Society that is relevant to members, contemporary, which provides value for money, and is responsive and willing to lead.

And what have you got planned for this branch of the Society?

The separation of our regulatory and representative functions gives us a golden opportunity. We have already started work on two major initiatives. Firstly, we have created a new Regulatory Affairs Service to look at regulation from the profession's point of view. I will be pressing the Regulation Board on a number of issues. For example, we must make some of the guidance for the profession clearer and more reasonable. Why should law firms have to print off emails and keep them as a paper database? There are such good IT back-up systems now, which should mean this is unnecessary. Secondly, we have been in discussions with the Trainee Solicitors Group and Young Solicitors Group about forming a Junior Law Society. This will provide new services where there are gaps in the market, such as offering individual career advice to those in this age range. Young solicitors account for half of the profession and I want them to appreciate the Law Society.

What are your thoughts about the changes afoot on the regulatory side of things?

There is a long way to go to get the draft Legal Services Bill right. It proposes creating a Legal Services Board with such coercive powers that it would be the primary regulator. This raises huge concerns about the independence of the profession. The Bill could create a heavy-handed, expensive regulatory regime that would be confusing and costly. The government also seems to have lost the plot on what alternative business structures are all about and how to regulate them. Essentially, they will be law firms within different structures. There is no need for separate licensing systems with different rules for the various providers of legal services. Finally, I worry about the Office for Legal Complaints. It looks on paper like a quasi-regulator that could be under no obligation to provide information to other
regulators.

In the past there have been accusations levelled at the Law Society that it isn't relevant to City firms. As a City solicitor, how do you hope to address this?

During my year as president I plan to visit the top 100 firms. I will leave them in no doubt
that the Law Society is working hard on their behalf. Many already value the work of our international department to open markets and create new businesses opportunities overseas. The new Regulatory Affairs Service will be effective in campaigning to ensure that regulation is proportionate and risk-based so as to boost the competitiveness of City firms internationally. I will also advance our work to promote equality and diversity so that law firms of all sizes are model employers.

What are your views on Lord Carter's proposals for a market-based approach to the procurement of legal aid services?

The challenge is to develop Lord Carter's proposals so they can work on the ground. Time will tell, but the Law Society will work constructively with the government to develop these ideas. However, the level of fees under any system must be viable or you won't find solicitors willing to do the work. There is a notion that savings will come through improved IT systems, but a lot of the work still has to be done face-to-face. A battered wife with housing problems needs to sit down and talk to a solicitor. Lord Carter implies that large contracts with large firms will deliver efficiency savings, but I am still not convinced that big is beautiful. Any changes must not harm people's ability to get good quality legal aid advice.

Andrew Towler set the questions

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