President’s message
Being CILEx President: ‘A distance relay not a sprint’
CILEx President Matt Foster concludes his term in office in July, ready to pass on the baton to the incoming President, Craig Tickner.
About the author: Matt Foster is President of CILEx.
I always knew, when coming into the role, that I was never going to achieve all I wanted to as President. In fact, each year this is the reality for most of us. We are given the ‘keys to the kingdom’ for 12 months and asked to come up with a tag line or a catchy slogan by which our members will remember us.
I fell kind of lucky, with Presidents who wanted to commit to the future of CILEx and our place in the legal profession. The role was no longer considered a sprint but became a long-distance race: more like a 400m 4x4 relay.
Millicent Grant started us off (see also page 8 of this issue). She passed the baton to Philip Sherwood, who then passed it to me, and, in turn, I will pass the baton to Craig Tickner. All four of us knew we could not make changes overnight or, indeed, within 12 months. There were so many targets and wish lists that we needed to set out our ambitions and run with them until we made the difference our members so richly deserve.
What has made this four-year span different is that we have been the Presidents who collectively reshaped CILEx to set it on a new path, with big ambitions and a very different way of working to any other professional body of lawyers. We did this believing that it would make us more likely to achieve the ambitions we have for CILEx Lawyers.
So, what are those ambitions?
Millie knew that we needed ‘progression in the profession’, which started us thinking about the long term. We needed to look at the anomalies that still exist for our members: Could these be addressed by lobbying or would they need legislative change? We knew we wanted to improve our qualifications, which would lead to a CILEx lawyer ‘fit for purpose’. We knew we wanted to deliver a first-rate membership service, one which would attract and retain our members now and in the future. We knew we wanted to be different but better.
Each of my predecessors contributed to this journey. I think - to sum up my year as President - I have worked hard to ensure that we have the right processes and focus in place: if you like, more the frame and less the picture. Not that this has worried me at all, in fact I am very proud of the work we have all been putting in over the past few years and look forward immensely to seeing the rewards this will reap for the good of the membership.
Change in CILEx governance explained
In July 2018, CILEx had a shift in governance; however, it is still difficult for some members, staff and external stakeholders to understand where we are now. I have made it my mission to get that message across.
Although the President is the ceremonial head, chairs the Professional Board and is the ambassador if you like, the Chartered Institute is being run in the very capable hands of a professional Chair in Professor Chris Bones. Chris, as you would expect, has the Chartered Institute and its progression at the very heart of what he and the Group Board are trying to achieve.
Chris has made tremendous progress in highlighting the anomalies faced by our members. He has already met with the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland QC, who is extremely supportive of CILEx. These conversations will continue so that the issues raised by you are brought to the attention of those at the highest level in government, who have the ability to make a change.
