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‘And so, this is Christmas and what have we done,
Another year over,
A new one yet to come”
2024 seems to have flown by at tremendous speed and the Society has covered so much from our Annual Awards raising a staggering £15k for Maggies; creating an ED&I Masterclass series; many networking opportunities in the city and across the county; celebrating the legal success from the start of the training contract to the celebration of qualifying, there appears to be no end to the achievements of our membership.
The last month has been no exception of busyness, welcoming new firms to the city and meeting our members to share with them the many ways Nottinghamshire Law Society is there for them and how they can contribute to the many committees with their expertise.
The last few weeks in November were very full, with a very successful networking lunch in Mansfield, the celebration of Newly Qualified Solicitors and Tenant Barristers at Revulcion De Cuba and then finally attending the President’s nominated charity, Harmless Winter Ball.
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We are working closely with charity ambassador, Debbi Marlow, who stepped out to show her modelling flair in early November and will be accompanying President, Lauren Crow on a charity skydive in early spring 2025.
Harmless will be hosting their 2025 Conference on Friday 28th February at Trent Conference Centre, this year’s theme is ‘Every Life Matters, But Who Do We Save? The Competing Demands on Services When Delivering Life-Saving Self Harm and Suicide Prevention Work.’ For more information on how to be involved/attend, visit their website.
Towards the end of November, I visited Buckles, meeting with Director of Compliance, Laurence Howland and other staff and shared the work that the Society does for its members and encouraging support on committees. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Laurence for his contributions to the Society’s informative training programme, where he is providing monthly updates on compliance and regulations.
It was also lovely to welcome Irwin Mitchell to Nottingham and visiting them at their new office in the City East Gate building.
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On Monday 2nd December, two finalists came together to compete in the President’s Cup. The negotiation competition was well fought by both sides of the table, Francesca Townsend (Actons) acting for a tv producer and William Schich (Geldards LLP) representing a production company. Well done to you both!
The Past Presidents’ lunch is always the highlight of my year, when you are given the opportunity to talk to those that served the Society over the years. This year, the lunch was attended by 24 past presidents’ spanning 30 plus years. This lunch was extremely special as it saw the beginnings of capturing the memories of our presidents’ as we begin to document the Society’s history. 2025 heralds the Society’s 150th anniversary, so watch this space for more information on how we are celebrating!
It is always great to collaborate with our fellow local law societies. Once again, we meet for a Christmas Jumper lunch and a productive event planning meeting with Derby & District’s Julia Saunders and Northamptonshire’s, Carolyn Coles.
It’s at this point, I would like to introduce to the new addition to our house and office, Alfie, the Sprocker…
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On Tuesday 10th December, we gathered at Copper to celebrate Christmas with our members. From sparkly sequins to festive sweaters, the night was a huge success and enjoyed by all that attended.
William May entertained us with Christmas songs from Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, and Dean Martin. His voice and talent are truly remarkable!
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On Thursday 12th December, I was invited to attend the 200th celebration of Rothera Bray LLP at St. Mary’s in the Lace Market. A truly fabulous evening, of celebration and again, allowed me to reflect on how much Rothera Bray have contributed to the Society’s history providing 8 president’s commencing in 1881 through to 1974.
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So, the new year, what is to come?
As I mentioned earlier, the Society will be celebrating 150 years, so there will be some special celebrations in the summer, where we will also be inviting our international friends from Karlsruhe and Ghent to join us for a fun-packed Twinning Weekend.
The shortlist nomination announcement will be announced in January, along with release of tables booking for the Annual Awards Dinner, which is being held on Friday 11th April. Top tip, book your table ASAP as this event sells out very, very fast!
We have the Nottingham Networking Lunch in February at Binks Yard and the John Pearce Charity Quiz Night is on the drawing board, more information to follow.
So, watch this space…
All that leaves me to say is have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I will look forward to seeing you in 2025!
Best wishes,
Michelle Foster
Head of Operations
Nottinghamshire Law Society