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A thorny situation

02 April 2014 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7601 / Categories: Opinion , Profession
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As Des Hudson announces his Law Society departure, Jon Robins reflects on his rollercoaster tenure

So it is farewell to Des Hudson. The Law Society chief executive will be lauded by some for providing a strong hand on the tiller that steered the good ship “Chancery Lane” away from its previous course colliding with every iceberg that came its way and denounced by others for selling its criminal defence members down the river.

Hudson insists that his departure date was in the diary last year and definitely not a panicky gesture to appease angry defence lawyers. The official line is that the timing of the announcement of his retirement is not an attempt to stave off yet more damage from a second special general meeting (SGM) challenging the leadership.

Chancery Lane paid tribute to its outgoing boss for having “strengthened” the organisation. “He has led numerous high-profile campaigns including the introduction of a range of new initiatives to help to increase the quality of legal services provision in England and Wales and raise

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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