Mr Douglas has confirmed that he will formally retire from the role later this year once a suitable successor is found for the position, which is predicted to be around September. The City of London Law Society – which represents the 60 leading commercial firms in the City and Canary Wharf – is losing Mr Douglas to solicitors’ pro bono charity LawWorks, where he will be appointed chairman on 15 June. At LawWorks, he will be replacing outgoing chair Paul Newdick CBE.

Challenging times

Mr Douglas has captained the CLLS through a period of incredible turbulence for the legal industry. During his five-year tenure, the UK government has dramatically increased court fees, threatened to impose a law firm tax against City firms and widened the divide between the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Law Society. As he prepares to step down, Mr Douglas warns that the future of legal regulation will be the ‘crucial’ challenge facing the industry over the coming years: ‘I think the time is right to hand over responsibility to a new chairman, who can lead our work in this area and represent the City of London’s interests in the debate,’ he told Legal Week. 

Source: Legal Business; Legal Week