Law Soc and CILEx swear in new presidents

Both the Law Society and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) welcomed new presidents to their organisations last week. Further synchronicity was in evidence when both new presidents expressed their desire to help protect the government-threatened legal aid system.

Andrew Caplen took office as the 170th president of the Law Society during the body’s annual general meeting on 10 July. Caplen, a solicitor based in Hampshire, has stressed that he will continue fighting for access to justice and the preservation of the legal aid system. He said: “Under my leadership, the Law Society will refocus on access to justice and will continue to fight the erosion of legal aid. I have spent the last 20 years fighting against the cuts, so I know what this is all about, as I have lived it. Access to justice ensures the basic functioning of our democratic society, and is what enticed many of us to become lawyers.”

He also plans to commit the Law Society to lobbying the government to make legal aid more easily available to victims of domestic violence.

In other presidential news, CILEx has welcomed Frances Edwards as its 51st president – the first Welsh woman to hold the role. She works for Caerphilly-based firm Caswell Jones as a legal aid lawyer specialising in family law. Inaugurated on 11 July, Edwards said: “It is such an honour to be elected not only as CILEx president, but as the 10th female and first Welsh woman to be president. I am certainly taking office in interesting times. Many changes are taking place in the legal market, not least the unacceptable changes to judicial review and reductions in the legal aid system.”