What a month that was…!
What can I say but, how amazing the last few weeks have been?
As we approached the end of April, we had the thrilling Hammond Cup Final with four talented finalists, Dominic Parisutham, Amelia Whyte, Christopher Grabowski and Jemma Stanford. The high level of advocacy skills on display in the NTU Law School court room were exceptional this year. We are truly grateful to the NTU Law School for their dedication and commitment to helping the Society with the Hammond Cup advocacy training. Thank you to Professor Jane Jarman and the team for providing the training ahead of the competition as well as the facilities for the two competition rounds. Thank you also, to Jim Buckley for providing the final round criminal material as well as his acting skills along with fellow VHS Fletcher colleagues, Hannah Spicer-Short and Kirsty Gregson. Once again, the competition was supported by the family of the late Michael Hammond. The legal competition established in 1968 for junior lawyers is the only one of its kind in England and Wales and highly regarded, which is an amazing legacy!
Following on from the Hammond Cup, the countdown began for the Annual Awards Dinner, and what a night that was!
Thank you to everyone that joined us at the East Midlands Conference Centre, to celebrate the legal success of Nottinghamshire. Special guest appearances by some of Bond’s famous villains as well as Daniel Craig himself, but the true Mr Bond that night was President, Stephen Luke, with a spotlight entrance.
Many asked the question, when did we produce the video, well that was produced in March this year at the beautiful Langar Hall, with the skilled video workmanship of Dan Lambourne and Jay Glenn for photography, not forgetting my good friend Alex Allingham for allowing us to enjoy the Aston Martin in the film shoot!
On the night in question, the support shown to Maggies was outstanding, and to realise that we raised over £15k for such a worthwhile cause is absolutely staggering. Without your help, Nottinghamshire Law Society couldn’t have reached such a great total. Thank you to everyone that supported the auction, raffle and the JustGiving Page.
The rollercoaster of the events did not stop there, with a brief rest over the May Day Bank Holiday, I then found myself in London attending the His Majesty King Charles III Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
There were certainly lots of #pinchmemoments on Wednesday 8th May, as we approached the gates of Buckingham Palace, walked through the gardens and then to stand just a small distance away from His Majesty was a moment I will remember forever.
The afternoon tea was delightful and yes, the crusts were cut off the sandwiches!
Buckingham Palace with Mo Aldridge from Hampshire Law Society, Mandy Heath from Bournemouth & District Law Society and our respective partners.
A chance meeting with a representative from Maggies, John from the Oldham Maggies Centre - great to chat and share our latest news of Maggies Nottingham!
How did I get an invitation to Buckingham Palace I hear you ask?
As part of my continued work with all the local law societies of England and Wales, I was the privileged guest of The Law Society. I was joined by friends from Bournemouth & District Law Society, Mandy Heath and Hampshire Law Society, Mo Aldridge.
My work with the local law societies is growing stronger as we work to progress how societies can benefit their members, creating an impactful social programme, benefits and incentives to keep members growing across England and Wales.
I am proud to say that Nottinghamshire Law Society, is certainly leading the way in how local law societies are seeking to establish themselves within their local legal communities.
Thursday 9th May, saw a visit to Chancery Lane and the High Courts of Justice, where in court was first Lady Chief Justice, Dame Sue Carr and Master of Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos. Walking around the hallowed halls of justice was another awe-inspiring experience and even more to walk around a court room to bump into one of Nottinghamshire’s very own Advocates, Bianca Brasoveanu, from The Johnson Partnership. Bianca won the Kevin De Silva Legal Article competition in 2021.
High Court of Justice and a chance meeting with Bianca Brasoveanu from The Johnson Partnership
After the tour, we had the privilege of a meeting with Attorney General, Victoria Prentis KC, led by The Law Society President, Nick Emmerson. Another amazing opportunity to pose questions, learn about Victoria’s journey into law through politics, the importance of women’s progression in law and, her love of bees!
Local Law Societies of England and Wales pictured with Attorney General, Victoria Prentis KC and The Law Society President, Nick Emmerson & Deputy Vice President, Mark Evans
Michelle Foster, pictured with Valeria Mancheva and Mark Evans, from the Law Society; Dr Angela Vodden and Beverley Cullen from Preston Incorporated Society and Claire Clarke from Norfolk Law Society
Finally, the day concluded with a hybrid Townhall Conference of all the local law societies of England and Wales.
And so, to this week, the AGM on Tuesday 14th May, saw Stephen Luke chair and eventually hand over the chain to Lauren Crow. The AGM was well attended with guests from the Society’s chosen charities, Maggies, IMARA and the new charity for 2024-2025, Harmless and the Tomorrow Project, as well as competition winners and finalists and the Society’s sporting champions in Cricket and Squash!
The ’Year in Photographs’ illustrates the number of events, competitions, sporting fixtures and overall involvement the Society has with its members. Thank you to everyone that has been taken part.
As we approach 2025, we begin the preparations to celebrate 150 years of Nottinghamshire Law Society, so watch this space for more exciting opportunities to join us!
In the meantime, we have the Nottingham Legal Walk on Wednesday 19th June, followed by the colourful Nottingham PRIDE 2024 walk on Saturday 27th July.
We look forward to seeing you at both, raising money for Access for Justice in June and importantly, raising the profile of Equality and Diversity in our legal community!
Best wishes,
Michelle Foster
Head of Operations
Nottinghamshire Law Society