Since taking over as President I have had a very busy few months. I held my first area visit in Durham in early April which was a huge success and we were very grateful to Swinburne Maddison LLP for hosting us in their fantastic offices in Aykley Heads and for providing refreshments.

The Area Visit lunches are a great opportunity for local Solicitors to come together as we look to grow the Society and legal sector in the region. It was great to have Durham Law School, in attendance including their Dean Professor Volker Röben, and to hear from Kate Morris about the JusTNOW Initiative and to see our members from various firms across the County Durham area. We also had our Council member, Allan Devine on hand to give us the latest updates from The Law Society.

Please note that there is currently an election to the Law Society Council taking place with nominations ending on the 14^th May. This is a great way to get involved with the National Law Society. By putting yourself forward to stand for election to Council, you could have the opportunity to champion the issues that matter most to you, at a national level. Please note that you don't have to meet any criteria other than being a solicitor and being either representative of our area, work sector area or your characteristic. If you’re interested, please apply using this link: https://ow.ly/TIvl50VwmXq

I am also very proud to be the very first President of Newcastle upon Tyne Law Society from my firm Burnetts Solicitors. As a result, I have had a chance to look back into the history of Burnetts.

It was James Burnett who started the firm in Carlisle towards the end of the 19^th Century, practising under his own name. His son, Edward, joined him as an articled clerk but his father died in 1932, one year before Edward qualified as a solicitor. Edward joined in Partnership with Sam Yelloly and the practice began to expand. The firm was then known as Yelloly & Burnett and became Burnetts in the late 60’s after Sam Yelloly retired.

Burnetts is now the largest Solicitors Partnership in Cumbria, across now five offices in Newcastle, Carlisle, Cockermouth, Kendal and Hexham, one of the largest in the Northern Region. A Partnership which I am very proud to be an active member of working primarily from our new offices in CityGate in the heart of Newcastle.

We have an exciting year ahead planned with lots of events and activities with some of those being listed on our website and your regular newsletters. Some highlights over the next few weeks include:

Friday 16^th May – FREE Law Society Bicentenary Event at the Vermont Hotel which includes an address by the current National Law Society President Richard Atkinson with drinks and canapes this is open to both members and aspiring solicitors. To book your FREE tickets use this link https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/events/products/newcastle-bicentenary-celebration      

Friday 6^th June – Hexham Area Visit where we invite our Hexham & Tyne Valley Solicitors to attend and we will have the MP for Hexham the Rt Hon Joe Morris MP attending to discuss legal issues. This lunch meeting is taking place at Bouchon Bistrot (4-6 Gilesgate, Hexham, NE46 3NJ) start time 12.30pm for 1pm. 

Thursday 26^th June - Presidents Summer Party at Wylam Brewery with a BBQ, live music, raffle and whilst we can’t guarantee the sunshine, we can guarantee beer. All for a good cause as we will be raising money for my Presidents charity of the year the Child Brain Injury Trust. Tickets are £45 per person.

Please do get involved and encourage your firm or others to do likewise and join as members. There are corporate rates for larger firms also. Please also follow our page on LinkedIn.

If you would like any more information about any of the above or book any tickets, please contact Sanchia or our office via e-mail

mail@newcastlelawsociety.co.uk.