Newly elected Bristol Law Society (BLS) president Becky Moyce has promised to use her year in office to get more young people from less affluent backgrounds interested in a legal career.
Becky will also champion a programme of events to support junior lawyers and those seeking promotion or a return to the profession to develop their support skills. 
She told the BLS’s recent AGM: “During my presidential term I hope to build on the successes of the last few years and to extend our reach to new members and to have a wider engagement with the local community.
“We all know that access to the profession has been a hot topic in recent months. This will continue to be a challenge. It has always been a concern of mine that the profession for many seems elusive and elitist and entirely beyond reach for those not from wealthy backgrounds, at least not without being prepared to leave university with debts in excess of £30,000.
“Whilst it is better than when I was at university 20 years ago, not enough is being done to change the mindset of children and their families in disadvantaged areas.”
The BLS is working with Sue Turner, chief executive at Quartet Community Foundation, and four schools have come on board to take part in the project – one of which BLS has already supported at two separate events with a careers fair, mini-debates and mock interviews.
Becky, only the fourth female lawyer to become BLS president since it was formed in 1770, also said it was important to ensure that women lawyers were recognised for their abilities and achievements.
To support junior lawyers and those seeking promotion or a return to the profession, the BLS will stage a series of ‘express CPD’ events on topics including effective networking and business awareness. The aim is that BLS can support and invest in Bristol’s managing partners of the future.
Becky said she would continue to develop the BLS’s relationships with the Institute of Directors and ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants), expanding cross professional links and networking opportunities for BLS members.
These were also exciting times for BLS’ education partner, the University of the West of England (UWE), she said, as it prepares to move into its new Business and Law faculty premises in the new year. Becky sits on the Law Advisory Board at UWE and is keen to see businesses use these new facilities.
She thanked her predecessor John Moriarty for his “stellar” efforts in securing new, centrally located premises which now give the BLS a wonderful opportunity to expand its offering to members and the wider business and local community.
Conference and meeting rooms are already available for event hire as well as a mediation suite which BLS hopes its members and other businesses can exploit.
This will be in addition to BLS’ continuing programme of training courses which involves partnering with many local businesses, including education providers, insurers, banks, publishers, media partners, in order to really shout about the strengths in the region.
Becky is a specialist property litigation lawyer and mainly handles commercial landlord and tenant disputes, property-related insolvency issues and land ownership disputes.
Becky joined BLS Council in 2012 and served two years as treasurer from 2013. She has also organised the last four annual property conferences for BLS.
