ROLE DESCRIPTION FOR LAW SOCIETY COMMITTEE MEMBERS MAIN TASKS OF LAW SOCIETY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

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1 ROLE DESCRIPTION FOR LAW SOCIETY COMMITTEE MEMBERS MAIN TASKS OF LAW SOCIETY COMMITTEE MEMBERS On the basis of their expertise and experience, members will advise and assist in the formulation, development and communication of policy, in person at meetings, and/or by post, phone, videoconference or Individually or collectively, members will consider and advise on policy initiatives and proposals, research papers, briefings and legal developments, consultations and where necessary will assist with the drafting of papers and responses If and when requested, members will act as representatives in speaking to the media, attending external meetings on the Law Society's behalf, or in writing reports and/or articles Occasionally and as required, members will contribute to ad hoc working parties and sub-groups dealing with specific issues pertaining to the 's work plan GENERAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES members should possess the capacity to make a sustained commitment and contribution to the work of the Law Society in the area of law in which the works, both in responding to requests for assistance and bringing forward ideas for consideration and discussion. This will include: Awareness of the key issues affecting the legal profession Experience in the practice of the area of law of the applied for Ability to be objective and discuss issues constructively and consensually Ability to look ahead and identify important emerging issues in good time to allow the to discuss proactively Problem--solving skills to find solutions to problems Ability to consider and advise on the development of policy and best practice Excellent communication skills, written and spoken Ability to commit and participate regularly as a member of the team Ability to work to support the work plan sometimes to tight deadlines AVAILABILITY REQUIRED Anything up to 6 days per year for meetings Occasional additional days for meetings necessitated by the work plan Occasional attendance at meetings as a representative of the Occasional post, telephone and contact with the Policy Officer and other Law Society staff as required Commenting on and/or drafting contents on consultation documents and similar documents, drafting articles as required. This may sometimes be requested as a matter of urgency Ability to interact via telephone and with other Members between meetings to ensure continued progress with the work plan

2 LAPB s - Role Requirements and COMMITTEE Access to Justice : COMMITTEE INFORMATION To keep under review, and to advise on, policy formulation and negotiations with the LSC (and any successor body) the Ministry of Justice and the wider government and to promote improvements in legal aid and access to justice; to provide support to practitioners providing or aspiring to provide publicly funded work, in particular through advice, lobbying and practice notes; to consider and promote alternative methods of access to justice in conjunction with other relevant committees. Main Purpose of the Role To act as a representative for the as necessary and to help the fulfil its terms of reference. To participate in Access to Justice meetings to assist them to be productive and successful. The has expressed a clear preference for immigration, public law and not-for-profit representation. The would also encourage applications from BAME practitioners. Children Law Sub Terms of reference: To keep under review and to promote improvements in areas specifically relating to the practice and procedure of public law Children Act proceedings and adoption and to consider such special aspects of private law children issues as may be referred to the Sub- by the Family Law. The wishes to recruit: A practitioner who is accredited as a children s representative on the Law Society s Children Law Accreditation Scheme. Applicants from outside the London area are encouraged to apply to ensure that the geographical representation of the is fairly balanced. A Local Authority practitioner from Wales who is ideally accredited as a children s representative on the Law Society s Children Law

3 Accreditation Scheme. This specialism is currently underrepresented on the committee Civil Justice To keep under review, and to promote improvements in civil litigation. Provide guidance to the profession and answer queries. The seeks civil litigation practitioners with a good knowledge of and interest in contributing to the development of the relevant rules and procedures. The Civil Justice is particularly seeking a claimant personal injury solicitor, a clinical negligence specialist and a solicitor with interest in the use of IT in the courts. Company Law To keep under review and to promote improvements in the law, practice and procedure applying to: (a) companies, other bodies corporate and other forms of incorporated and unincorporated association; (b) insolvency; and (c) financial services, including investment vehicles. To consider and respond to Government, European and other regulatory initiatives, proposals, legislation and guidance affecting these areas, and to support and promote the role of solicitors in these fields. The is interested in recruiting candidates with a strong background in the following: financial services expertise corporate governance expertise insolvency expertise Conveyancing and Land Law To review & promote improvements in all branches of land law, conveyancing procedure & matters relating thereto. To respond to consultation documents from outside bodies including inter alia, the Government, Law Commission and HM Land Registry. To develop and implement a strategy to assist the profession to adapt to anticipated changes in the conveyancing market and to promote solicitors as the leading providers of quality conveyancing services. To provide practical assistance and guidance to the profession. To provide both a (free) pool of specialist expertise and a representative sounding board.

4 The is seeking: in-house property solicitors; or solicitors with commercial property experience; or academics with a high degree of technical competence on land law. Criminal Law To keep under review and to promote improvements in criminal law, practice and procedure. To consider matters referred to the by other committees, working parties and task forces. The has expressed a clear preference for applications from: an experienced criminal law academic experienced practitioners. Employment Law To keep under review, and promote improvements in, employment law and practice. To support members of the profession undertaking work in employment law. To promote the role of solicitors practicing in employment law. The is particularly interested in applications from candidates with experience of working internationally and candidates who practice in Wales. All applications are welcome. European Union The European Union will be responsible for ensuring that the Law Society responds to relevant EU proposals and communications in a timely and effective manner, and for assisting the Society in its lobbying activity in the EU institutions. The is currently seeking to appoint new members with knowledge of consumer protection and main stream contract law and their interface with EU Treaty and EU legislation and experience in the following areas: State Aid, Competition Law, Public Procurement. The welcome applications from people based in Brussels and those who speak German/ French.

5 We would also welcome applications from people based in London with experience working in Brussels. Family Law To keep under review, and to promote improvements in, family law, practice and procedure, including child care law and procedure. To keep under review and monitor the development of relevant accreditation schemes (the Children's Panel, Family Law Panel and the Family Mediation Panel). The is seeking to appoint: A solicitor specialising in domestic abuse - experience of forced marriage and FGM would be an advantage. A solicitor, finance specialist - experience of European law would be an advantage. An academic - experience in research would be an advantage Housing Law To keep under review and promote improvements in law and practice relating to residential letting in the public and private sectors (including security of tenure, rent control, repairing obligations, harassment/illegal eviction and homelessness). To monitor and promote improvements in the practice and procedure of courts and tribunals relating to housing cases. To promote and develop legal services and awareness of legal issues in the housing field. The is seeking to appoint: an experienced lawyer practising in Wales (preferably acting for landlords) A member with legal aid experience and Two other members with appropriate housing law experience. Human Rights : To see upheld human rights and the rule of law both domestically and internationally, particularly in relation to lawyers, their professional activities and the upholding of human rights standards. Main purpose of the role To act as a representative for the as necessary and to help the fulfil its terms of reference. To participate in Human Rights meetings to assist them to be productive and successful To engage in the project work of the as appropriate

6 depending on the specific areas of expertise of the member The is looking for candidates who can show good general knowledge of human rights principles and practice both domestically and internationally. The is particularly interested in candidates who have experience in pursuing cases before regional human rights mechanisms other than the ECtHR and also candidates who have experience of delivering human rights training to lawyers and/or judges from outside the United Kingdom. Immigration Law To keep under review and to promote improvements in immigration and asylum law, practice and procedure. The is currently seeking to recruit an experienced legal practitioner or policy professional specialising in asylum and refugee law. The is especially keen to consider applications from those working for charities or other 3 rd sector organisations working in this area. Intellectual Property The purpose of the Law Society Intellectual Property is to report to the Law Society s LAPB in relation to matters of national and international intellectual property The will normally consider reporting on intellectual property matters only where doing so addresses any one or more of these objectives: Influencing law reform to achieve a better system of justice; Supporting solicitors to help them achieve the standards expected of them, and deliver good service; Regulating and setting standards for solicitors to make sure they deliver a good and ethical service to consumers; or Representing the interests of solicitors as a whole. The considers the objectives listed above to cover reports on: the clarity, accessibility and workability of intellectual property legislation and practices, the ability of proposed intellectual property legislation or practices to achieve their stated purpose; and matters concerning intellectual property awareness among private individuals and companies and within public bodies. The will consider the following factors in deciding whether to report on an issue, and in framing that report: the extent to which the issue raises questions that fall within the

7 objectives; the need for expert Intellectual Property input on the issue; the extent of resources available to the ; and the timeliness of the request; and the likely impact of a report from the. The will not report on intellectual property matters for the purpose of advancing any particular factional interests over any other factional interest. Main Purpose of the role The Intellectual Property Law committee (IPLC) covers the full range of IP types, including patents, copyright, designs and trade marks. The is involved in lobbying and making submissions to both the UK government and supranational bodies such as the EPO, European Commission, and WIPO, reflecting the diverse sources of IP legislation and policy. In accordance with our mandate, the avoids taking sides on commercial issues (e.g. between owners and users of IP). Current areas of work include the Unified Patent and the EU s digital agenda, particularly copyright aspects. The also looks forward to seeing the long-anticipated Bill on IP threats, an area in which the IPLC has long campaigned for reform. Skills and Experience The is particularly keen to hear from specialists in copyright, in light of the likely workload arising from the EU digital agenda. The is also interested to hear from in-house lawyers, to bolster our representation in that constituency. People who don t fit into these categories should not be put off from applying, as the has several vacancies. The covers a broad range of topics and is always keen to hear from IP lawyers who can bring expertise, enthusiasm and a reasonable commitment of time to our work. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Mark Anderson, Chair of the IPLC, who will be more that happy to answer any questions you may have. Telephone: +44 (0) / mark@andlaw.eu. Planning and Environmental Law To keep under review, and to promote improvements in, planning law, practice and procedure (including related areas of law such as listed buildings and conservation, highways, nature conservation, water resources, drainage and flood risk, compulsory purchase and compensation) and environmental law and procedure. The is particularly keen to recruit members with the following expertise in environmental law;

8 local authority practitioners (planning and environmental law) and those who are practising in Wales. Female and BME members are currently underrepresented on the and the would be interested in receiving applications from suitably qualified applicants. Tax Law To review and promote improvements in tax law and procedure. Main purpose of the role The main purpose of the role is to bring experience and specialist knowledge to bear to enable the to initiate a dialogue with external bodies whether HMRC/the EU/OECD - (or respond to consultations) on tax law and its reform, particularly but not exclusively where they affect members of the Society or legal consumers (e.g. restrictions on legal professional privilege or legislative uncertainty or undermining fundamental tenets eg separation of powers). The skills or characteristics that any member of the TLC should bring include: An ability to assimilate complex material rapidly Scepticism i.e. to see what is said only to do X actually does Y (either as well or instead) Clarity and brevity in communications Willingness to contribute to discussions and prepare draft documents In appropriate circumstances to attend meetings with external bodies (HMRC/other rep bodies) The necessary time to read material Ability to make linkages e.g. how something in one area can have a knock on effect elsewhere in the tax system or indeed in other aspects of the law in which the Society is interested Technology Law Reference Group Individually and as part of a team to assist with the formation, development and communication of the Law Society s policy on electronic law; and advise on EU electronic commerce legislation and technical developments/materials relevant to the legal profession. The technology and Law Reference Group is particularly looking for members with experience in public sector organisations (e.g. central and local government, NHS, charities, agencies and NGOs, universities). Previous experience in providing advice involving IT, AI, Big Data, Cyber Security, Data Protection or Social Media Law is an advantage but not essential.

9 Wales The Wales has a broad remit to cover issues with a Wales dimension and informs the profession across the jurisdiction about the specific requirements of Wales. It engages with the Welsh Government, the National Assembly for Wales and other key Institutions. Main Purpose of the role For further information, please contact the Governance Team. Will & Equity To keep under review, and to promote improvements in, the law and procedure relating to wills, probate, trusts and charities. For further information, please contact the Governance Team.