EGM - ARTICLES APPROVED
24 July 2008
At 12 noon on the 23 July 2008, The Sheffield Law Society broke its mould and began a renaissance, so says Frances Woodhead, this year’s President who oversaw the re-writing of its historic constitution.
The original articles dated 11 September 1875 and read like a who’s who of the Victorian legal scene in Sheffield. Signatories included Mr Wake, and Mr. Smith, both trading out of separate offices, the Burdekins, together with Mr. Esam and Mr Watson who were neighbours. All of these names are still around, although many have joined forces to become well known household names in the city.
Back in 1875, the city had also been visited by her majesty Queen Victoria who reviewed the city’s technological Steel expertise, and the Weston Park Museum was opened.
One hundred and twenty years later, the city’s leading lawyers are again showing their innovative metal; they have now voted without any dissenters, to reshape their constitution to allow members of allied professions to be members. According to Chris Fry and Rebecca Robinson who worked on the redraft, the mandate from the Law Society was clear, “We had to recognise that Sheffield’s law firms are diverse and draw from legal talents from Legal Executives, paralegals, and barristers; not just solicitors”.
Frances Woodhead used the special meeting to unveil her plans for re-invigorating the Sheffield Law Society under her theme of “Making a Difference”. Frances, who is also Head of Legal Services at Sheffield City Council, revealed that the Law Society will be working on various projects involving the Universities, businesses and international lawyers over the next few months.
According to Frances, “When Queen Victoria visited the city; she saw the best of the city’s heritage at Weston Park, and the best of its new expertise. These changes show that over one hundred and twenty years later, the Law Society could demonstrate the same. Our foundations and pedigree is strong, but we’re again looking forward to being the clear voice of Sheffield’s lawyers in the city’s new advanced commercial environment.”
For over one hundred years, the Sheffield District Law Society has been the voice for the city’s legal profession. Any queries or further quotes, please contact Katherine Powell at the Sheffield District Law Society at katherine@sheffieldlawsociety.co.uk . |
