One issue that all firms are grappling with today is of course the downturn in the economy. While it is impossible to be precise, it is clear that the recession will be deeper and longer than many anticipated and the next 12 months will be very challenging for us all.

Though no membership organisation could ever undo the economic circumstances we find ourselves in, there are numerous practical steps the Law Society is taking to help firms.

Our practice note on the banking crisis has proved very popular and is available on our website. We are also developing a practice note on redundancy, which will give advice on rights and information for trainee solicitors.

The Law Management Section provides best practice information and support on the full range of practice management disciplines, including HR, finance, marketing, IT, business development, client care, quality and risk.

Our dedicated Practice Advice Service support line for Law Society members and employees of law firms is staffed by solicitors who have access to a wide range of information services and specialists within the Society. Members can also use our pastoral care helpline for help with personal, financial, professional or employment problems.

The Lexcel standard continues to prove very popular, providing legal practices with a supportive framework for their business that focuses on key practice management areas.

By implementing the requirements across all areas, firms can manage risk better and enhance client service – and in turn help to lower professional indemnity insurance rates. Finally, there are few better ways to save money than by going green and joining the Legal Sector Alliance. Information on all these initiatives can be found on our website, www.lawsociety.org.uk.

Our special professional indemnity insurance task force is examining the difficulties faced by solicitors. It is intended that an action plan will be available to the profession in good time for the indemnity insurance renewal date of 1 October 2009.

DiversityThe diversity profiles of large and international firms were under the spotlight earlier this month following the publication of diversity tables detailing trends in ethnicity and gender by the Black Solicitors Network (BSN).

There were a number of notable success stories: 10% of Wedlake Bell’s partners are of Asian background, while 9% of its associates and nearly a quarter of its trainees are from ethnic minorities. Similarly, more than 40% of Flint Bishop’s partners are women, while at Irwin Mitchell over 70% of associates are female.

Nonetheless, the reality is that firms such as Wedlake Bell, Flint Bishop and Irwin Mitchell are the exception rather than the norm. The BSN’s stark headline statistic that only six of the 41 firms that participated had black partners underlines that we must be very clear on the scale of the challenge we face.

Rewind the clock 20 or 30 years and the profession was almost uniformly white. By 1997, 4.5% of practising certificate holders were from a black and minority ethnic group, and by last year this figure had doubled to 9.5%. The question is therefore not only how do we attract more solicitors from ethnic minority backgrounds to firms, but also how do we help the 30% of trainees at firms such as Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy progress to partnership?

Achieving real change and replicating the successes at recruitment level up at partnership level requires concerted action across the profession. I have put equality and diversity at the centre of my presidency because I believe there are a number of practical steps we can take to make a real difference.

The Law Society’s Diversity Charter has been developed to encourage legal practices of every type to commit themselves to developing and implementing best practice in diversity as employers, providers of legal services and purchasers of goods and services. It is the first-ever explicit commitment by the legal profession to promoting equality and diversity, and we are inviting the whole profession to sign up to it.

The diversity protocol on legal procurement will develop alongside the charter. It aims to encourage a more enlightened approach to equality and diversity issues among purchasers of legal services by ensuring that they take these concerns into account during the procurement process.

The current economic climate is a reminder of just how important it is to ensure that the legal profession has the confidence of all communities. It is not just the moral case for equality and diversity that is compelling – the business of law underlines that it must be at the heart of everything we do.

Judicial appointmentsOne of the issues in which I have taken a particular interest during my time as president is judicial appointments. It is essential for a democratic society to have a judiciary that reflects roughly the composition of that society. An unrepresentative bench which is out of touch with society undermines popular understanding of and support for the legal system.

I am a strong supporter of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), which since 2006 has undertaken the selection exercises for judicial posts. The JAC selects candidates on merit through fair and open competition and is committed to encouraging the widest range of eligible candidates. I believe that in time the composition of the judiciary will change, with the appointment of more women, disabled people, black and ethnic minorities, and in particular more solicitors.

The Law Society has been a strong advocate for an independent and impartial system for judicial appointments. It continues to lobby for improvements to both the underlying statutes and the selection process, which could either deter or debar solicitors from applying for and attaining appointment as a judge.

While I am convinced that senior solicitors in large firms with experience of managing, for instance, major and complicated litigation cases, are ideal candidates for judicial appointment, we are not seeing enough progressing to the bench. So what has to change?

Part of the solution lies in changing attitudes towards becoming a judge by ensuring that all solicitors understand, and do so earlier in their careers, exactly what being a judge entails. The solicitor judges I speak to tell me, without exception, that it is one of the most rewarding chapters of their careers.

Being a judge is also far more flexible than many believe and will, I hope, be part of an increasing number of solicitors’ work/life balance. We are going to continue working with the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls and the JAC to see that this is achieved.

Paul Marsh is President of the Law Society