Annual Dinner a Winner at the Molineux

Nearly 200 members of the local Solicitors’ profession and guests attended the Wolverhampton Law Society Annual Dinner on the 18th November. Held at the Molineux the event attracted support from a wide range of Law Firms and other local professionals including those from Accountancy, Banking, the Bar, Medicine, Higher Education, Business Turnaround and Commercial Property Agents.

Guest members of the local Judiciary

(Left to Right) HHJ Helen Hughes, DJ Paul Watson, HHJ Hilary Watson, DJ Alderson, DJ Hearne, DJ Wheeler.

The formal part of proceedings was preceded by a Reception which afforded an opportunity for Members of the Society and their guests to mingle whilst enjoying canapés and champagne.

Vice President Guy Birkett, President of The Birmingham Law Society Andrew Lancaster, Law Society Area Manager Clive Black.

Ian MacPherson, Louise Jones, Past President Nick Wynn-Williams.

After Dinner our Guest Speaker and fellow Solicitor Steve Smith spiced up the evening with a serving of anecdotes about life as a criminal practitioner to the stars (in and around…….Rotherham!).

Steve Smith (Right) tries to sell a copy of his book “Junkies Judges and Jail” to vice President Guy Birkett and President Alex Thompson.

Annual Dinner – Book now to avoid disappointment!

Tickets for the Society’s annual “Flagship” event are being snapped up quickly so members who wish to attend will need to act fast to avoid missing the boat.

Joint Social Secretaries Charlotte Clode and Laura Jones report that interest in the event amongst other professional groups is particularly high this year.

Laura continues:-

“Over the past few years a changed format, which has seen the event thrown open to guests from other professions coupled with a succession of entertaining after dinner speakers, has meant that the Annual Dinner has become a firm favourite. This has allowed the Society to attract sponsorship for the event which, in turn, means that we can provide even better value for those who attend.”

The list of bookings confirmed so far includes guests from the following organisations and professions:-

Lloyds TSB

Muras Baker Jones

The Co-operative Bank

Leonard Curtis

Allied Irish Bank (GB)

Medical Practitioners

No5 Chambers

St Philips Chambers

Towler Shaw Roberts


Member firms and other local Solicitors comprise:-

Underhill Langley and Wright

FBC Manby Bowdler

Thornes

Rees Page

Higgs and Sons

George Green

Details of the event and how to book are set out in a previous posting. In addition to a new format those who attend will be treated to a selection of complimentary wines and a free prize draw courtesy of our sponsors.

Annual Dinner – Book now to avoid disappointment!

The Wolverhampton Law Society Annual Dinner will take place at the Molineux Stadium Wolverhampton on Friday 18th November.

A slightly changed format will see the event start with a Champagne reception and canapés so that members and their guests can take advantage of what has become an excellent net working opportunity.

Guests will include local dignatories, members of the judiciary and the local Bar along with prominent members of the Wolverhampton business community. All in all an opportunity not to be missed!

Entertainment will be provided by our Guest Speaker Stephen D Smith – described by “The Times” as “The Rumpole of Rotherham” Stephen had to abandon his child hood dream to become a virtuoso classical artist when he discovered that there was a limited body of work written for the piano accordion. Instead, a career in the law has enabled Stephen to tap into a rich vein of material for use on the after-dinner circuit.

University Launches Law Centre and seeks support from the local profession.

Wolverhampton University has launched a Law Clinic to provide free legal advice for people in the local community and surrounding area who are in need of legal help but unable to obtain legal assistance through other means. The new Law Centre is intended to be complementary to existing legal services provided by lawyers and other advice agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Mumtaz Hussain Director of Postgraduate and Part-time education at the School of Law takes up the story:-

“The Law Centre builds upon a long tradition of student law clinics, where it is recognised that both the community and students would benefit from experiential legal education. The clinic work prioritises the community’s needs for legal services and clients’ interest, which complements legal education in developing students’ legal skills, experiencing law in operation and reflecting on ethics and conduct of legal practice.”

The service provided will include

· preliminary legal advice on whether the client has any legal rights or claim,

· consideration of the law that would be applicable,

· the recourse or remedy that may be available

· the next steps or action that need to be taken

Mumtaz continues:-

“The Law Centre is run by law students and they will also be providing the free legal advice service under the supervision of academic staff, some of whom are qualified solicitors or barristers. Additional supervision of students’ advice work will be provided by practicing lawyers from local law firms who have kindly agreed to provide support to this initiative on a ‘pro-bono’ basis.”

Additional support is sought from local practitioners through the Wolverhampton Law Society. Any members who would like to discuss how they can contribute to this worthwhile cause are invited to contact Mumtaz on 321559 or e-mail M.J.Hussain@wlv.ac.uk

Honours even but the Accountants retain the trophy

The annual battle between representatives of Wolverhampton's Solicitors and Accountants was played out at Oswestry Golf Club on Friday 16th September. The players took to the first tee underneath a dark and brooding sky but things brightened up as the Solicitors got off to a flying start. Pairings Guy Birkett and Matthew Weaver and Phil Cowell and Adrian Hull both won their matches and it looked as though the Solicitors would avenge the drubbing they were given by the Accountants at last year’s event. Unfortunately, no sooner were they raised than hopes were dashed as the following three matches were lost to the Accountants. The vanquished included the pairing of Frank Calleia and Jonathan Taylor. Frank had done particularly well last year but on this occasion no longer trusting to his eyesight had invested in a cunning laser range finder which turned out to be somewhat myopic. James Sage battled nobly on on his own following some confusion on the part of his intended playing partner as to the date of the golf match (you know who you are Mark Hodgson!). With a squared match coming in, thereafter, the score stood at 3 1/2, 2 1/2 to the Accountants. Alasdair Hobbs then produced a victory for the Solicitors in the final match to square the contest. So honours even to the respective professions but the “Ryder Cup” format meant that the Accountants as holders retained the trophy for another year. All concerned commented that it had been a fun day and with the exception of James Sage's match all of the pairings produced evenly matched contests which, in many cases, went down to the final hole. If there are any golfing Solicitors out there who would like to participate in next year's event they should not hesitate to make contact with the Society’s Vice President and Golf Captain Guy Birkett at FBC Manby Bowdler LLP.

Wolverhampton Law Society Annual Dinner 2011

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