HUMANIST SOCIETY OF WEST YORKSHIRE
Affiliated to the British Humanist Association

NEWSLETTER (107) APRIL, 2008

April Meeting, AGM, Tuesday 22/04/08 at 7.30pm

Timetable,  AGM to 8.15, Wine or Fruit juice and nibbles in the Café, 8.35, IllustratedTalk:-
“Early Religion: The Beliefs and Monuments of Neolithic and Bronze-age Britain”, by Paul Dean.

March meeting:- “The Law - Fit for Purpose?” John Wilson. Report by Paul Dean

The subjects of law and law services are immense and ever-growing.  As such this month’s talk touched on a range of aspects of British law and the provision of law services, inspired by the decades-worth of experiences and anecdotes of the speaker.

After several years of working as a solicitor and observing at first-hand the short-comings of many law companies, as well as their unwillingness to reform and improve, John Wilson decided to setup his own company.  Seventeen years later, he is running six offices around the Leeds and Bradford area and employing about 60 people.

The main thrust of John’s criticism of traditional law companies stems from the market monopoly that solicitors enjoy.  For years solicitors have been able to charge large and often unpredictable fees for their services, without any pressures to improve the value of their service or to provide more imaginative ‘customer-friendly’ products.  John has challenged the notion that a fixed upfront fee cannot be offered by this profession and has endeavoured to provide a transparent cost-effective service to his customers, inspired by the recent boom in high-street ‘self-service’ opticians stores.  The risks associated with such a ‘fast turnaround’ legal product were discussed within the group, particularly the concern that such an approach could lead to a situation where the poorest people ultimately get a lower-quality service.  However, it was acknowledged that the freedom of choice provided by this approach was a clear advantage. The subject of legal aid (LA) was also discussed.  It was suggested that LA serves as a slush fund for lawyers, allowing them to take on weak cases that would not otherwise be considered, and for which they receive a fee from the government irrespective of the success of the case.  The cost of LA per head in the UK is £35, compared with just £1 in Sweden.  The blame for this situation lies partly with the various groups that have administered LA over the years (The Law Society, Legal Aid Board), all of which have been under the strong influence of the lawyers themselves.  A similar dubious situation can be seen today in the Solicitors’ Regulatory Authority, which is ran by members of The Law Society.  Related to the subject of LA is the recent rise in numbers of ‘no win no fee’ services being offered by law companies.  These products allow unscrupulous lawyers to cherry-pick the best cases, for which they receive double the fee if the case is successful. This general trend in the expansion (but not necessarily improvement) of law companies in the UK is reflected in the numbers of practicing solicitors; 130000 in 2000 compared with just 17000 in 1950 and 15000 in 1900.

            Sadly, Frank Woodhead, who had been a member for 14 years died on 12th March.  His Humanist funeral was conducted by Bob Tee.

Diary  All meetings at Swarthmore at 7.30 unless stated otherwise.
            Tues. 13th May, “The Unwoven Rainbow”, Richard Parker.
            Sun. 13th July, Summer Social, 3.00 - 7.00pm at 36 Oak Dene Close, Pudsey.