Jon Robins reports on the latest crisis to hit Chancery Lane
It’s been a shambolic start to the new year at Chancery Lane. “The Law Society’s governance is costly, bureaucratic and does not reflect how successful modern organisations operate,” wrote outgoing chief exec Catherine Dixon in her blistering resignation letter.
Appearing in unedited form in the Gazette on the first working day of the year, it must have left an extraordinary impression on those practice fee paying solicitors not familiar with the internal workings of their representative body. “The Law Society, in my view cannot, because of its current governance arrangements, operate in a responsive and agile way,” continued the chief exec.
Dixon, who was only appointed chief exec in August 2014, reckoned it was “impossible, as an effective CEO, to navigate the complex and often overlapping boards in a way which best serves the organisation and its members”.
The council comprises 100 solicitors, almost two-third represents parts of the country and the rest cover practice areas and demographic groups. There are four boards covering management, legal affairs and policy, membership and regulatory affairs.
Catherine Dixon’s
