Happenings in Hampshire
An Interview with Russell Evans President of the Hampshire Law Society What prompted you to enter the law as a profession? I was inspired to study the law and enter the legal profession by a desire to promote justice and fairness. At the time I was not only fascinated by the law but also history and archaeology. A living beacon of Justice however won over the ancient Hammurabi Code. And so my path began into litigation and ultimately mediation.
Which public figure do you most admire and why? The person I have most admired during my lifetime is Nelson Mandela a Nobel Peace Laureate who sadly is no longer with us. I have had the good fortune to visit Robben Island, where he was incarcerated, a unique symbol of ‘the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.’ Nelson Mandela had a quiet dignity. He was prepared to reach out a hand of friendship in adversity, acknowledge wrongs and bring peace and reconciliation to a troubled world. As Nelson Mandela once said ‘If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.’ I try to follow his philosophy and spirit in the civil and commercial mediations which I conduct which are often disputes both individual and business between parties with intense emotions.
What person (if any) inspired you to become a solicitor? My mother is perhaps my biggest inspiration forever offering a hand to people in need a woman of great fortitude, generosity, strength and support. I owe her a great deal. The great Hampshire man and judicial reformer Lord Denning then set the tone at university.
What are the biggest professional challenges we are all going to face in the next 12 months? We face many challenges ranging from Brexit, the aftermath of recession, under investment in the court and advisory system to proposed changes to the justice system including the online court and fixed fees. All will present challenges to professional practice and the way in which business is conducted. The legal landscape of tomorrow may become very different from that of yesteryear.
What is the one main issue you want to tackle during your tenure? As President I want to bring people together, to build links and bridges between practices both large and small, fellow professionals, the business and local community as well as universities. I want to give
people a voice, to empower, encourage and inspire our great citizens of tomorrow and promote Justice and the Rule of Law.
What do you expect to be the most rewarding aspect of being President? There is nothing more human than meeting with people, hearing their stories, offering support and joining arms together in a common purpose.
What do you like to do in your spare time? I enjoy walking the great countryside that is forever England and experiencing the delights of nature from the daily morning visit of an inquisitive robin to the flutter of the wagtail nesting above my window. I am also a great admirer of artistic, musical and theatrical talent. Sadly my competitive sporting days are over but I can raise a cheer from the sidelines.
What book did you last read? I read ‘Sword Song’ by the master storyteller Bernard Cornwell of heroic Sharpe fame. It forms part of the Last Kingdom series and perhaps appropriately for us depicts the struggle for the survival of King Alfred’s Kingdom of Wessex and the creation of the country called England. I had the great pleasure to meet Bernard Cornwell recently at the Wellington Lecture at Southampton University and indeed to learn about the life of the master tactician Lord Wellington as well as Bernard Cornwell himself who is related to Charles Carroll an original signatory to the US Declaration of Independence. Carroll is one of my own ancestral family names.
What is your favourite film? My favourite film is the Shawshank Redemption, a story of true redemption about the power of friendship and hope, of triumph over adversity, underscored by sublime music and towering harmonies.
What would you say to a youngster today, who was considering joining the legal profession? An education in the law offers many rewarding opportunities not just within the legal sector but the business community. We are now a bigger more global economy. Think laterally. Consider and explore all opportunities open to you both in the UK and wider world.
Law firm campaigns for changes to divorce Law firm Trethowans is backing calls to take the blame out of divorce this week. Solicitors from the south coast firm are throwing their weight behind Resolution’s campaign for ‘no fault divorce’ during Good Divorce Week which ran from 28th November – 1st December. Currently, there is only one ground on which a petition for divorce can be presented to the court by either party and that is that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. To evidence ‘irretrievable breakdown’, the person seeking the divorce relies on a fact of adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion or separation. Trethowans’ family law experts, along with members of Resolution, argue that the need to blame a party for the marriage breakdown can often cause unnecessary difficulty and conflict. Grant Cameron, partner in Trethowans’ family team, says: “The introduction of a ‘no-fault’ divorce could greatly assist in reducing the inevitable tensions that arise on marriage breakdown. Perhaps more importantly, the 'no-blame' culture would allow couples to focus on more
important issues, namely arrangements for the children and the financial consequences of divorce.” 150 members of Resolution will be travelling to Westminster to meet with their MP on Wednesday (Nov 30) to put forward their argument for changes to the law. While there, they will also campaign to improve the rights for cohabiting couples. Nearly half of people aged 18-34 think that cohabiting couples have the same legal rights as married couples, according to research from Resolution. Grant says: “Living with your partner does not of itself afford you any legal rights and, in law, the status of “common law husband and wife” does not exist. With the cohabiting family being the fastest growing family unit in the UK, Resolution strongly believes it is time to tackle this issue. We fully agree and support its calls for a legal framework to protect unmarried couples when they split up.”
Hampshire Legal
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