Member Article

Shrewsbury lawyer appointed Small Firms Committee Inaugural Chair

A leading Shrewsbury-based lawyer has been appointed Inaugural Chair of The Law Society’s Small Firms Committee, only two months after joining its ranks.

Paul Bennett, Partner and Mediator at Aaron & Partners, was formally appointed to the national committee following his work with The Law Society’s Small Firms Division last October, and became the Chairman in January following a peer election.

Paul, said: “I was on a steering group of four and the three others asked me to run because they felt that I had the most relevant experience. A hotly contested election followed and then an anonymous vote was taken and I found out I had been voted in.

“It’s a privilege to be part of the Small Firms Committee and an absolute honour to be elected as its Chairman. The Law Society Division involved acts as the voice of the profession.”

Small firms comprise 85% of law firms in the UK with 26,000 solicitors and 8,537 firms fitting in to this category.

Between 2012 and 2014 the committee reorganised into eight divisions to represent the interests of particular firms or types of work and Paul was consulted on the changes.

Paul added: “My role is to act as a conduit between the committee and the small firms and committees I come into contact with, to ensure that their views are being represented.

“It’s really a legacy from the initial organisation of the committee and my priorities remain the same ­– to encourage membership engagement and facilitate the expansion of the Small Firms Division beyond the traditional members and to promote consultancy and free support resources.

“It’s important to promote as much free advice and resources to small firms and individual solicitors as possible to help boost the firms’ profitability.”

Paul’s practice involves advising law firms and professional businesses and senior professionals across a range of sectors. Paul has a wealth of experience as a Solicitor Advocate, including a four-year appointment as Attorney General Panel Counsel representing the Government in the higher courts. His areas of expertise are employment law, partnership, regulation, dispute resolution and mediatio

He will be Chairman for one year and will continue to represent the Small Firms Division at networking and speaking events, including the flagship Modern Law conference in London, in March, where he will be speaking and taking part in a panel discussion.

For more information on Aaron & Partners and the services offered, please visit www.aaronandpartners.com or for specialist partnership advice: www.aaronspartnershiplaw.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Elle Brunton .