Liverpool Law Bulletin December 2013 December 2013 | Page 14

Annual Dinner

186th Liverpool Law Society Annual Dinner

The Annual Dinner is a longstanding highlight
of the Liverpool Law Society social calendar.
Nerves amongst the President and his team at
LLS HQ were running slightly higher than
usual as there was a new format to the evening
to navigate as well as the speeches to deliver
and high profile guests to entertain.

President Fletcher need not have worried, the 186th
Liverpool Law Society Dinner was a glittering affair.
Distinguished guests, and dignitaries including The Rt
Hon The Lord Michael Heseltine CH, Lady Heseltine,
Dame Lorna Muirhead, the High Sheriff, Lord Mayor
of Liverpool Gary Millar and members of the judiciary
together with sponsors Baker Tilly, DX and Wesleyan
for Lawyers gathered in the Crosby room for a predinner reception before making their way down to
the grand ballroom.

The ballroom was the fullest we have seen it in recent
years and the low lighting, candelabras and sumptuous
decoration gave proceedings an atmosphere of
opulent festivity as members and guests caught up
with old friends and new faces before taking their
seats for dinner.

After a welcome from the President, Lord Heseltine
took to the stage to propose the toast to the Society.
He talked about his long connection with Merseyside
and his role in the regeneration of Liverpool and the
regions as a whole. He spoke fondly of his time in
Liverpool in the early 1980s and the desire of the
people of the city to “get things done” and to turn
Liverpool’s fortunes around. He also expressed his
gratitude to the City and said that he was humbled by
the honours that Liverpool has bestowed on him over
the years (he is a freeman of the city, holds an
honorary doctorate from John Moores University and
has a building named after him at the Liverpool
University Management School).

President Fletcher responded to the toast thanking
Lord Heseltine for the work that he has done in
making Liverpool a prosperous city region. It is
testament to the President’s work this year that he
was able to secure such a prominent speaker in Lord
Heseltine. However the President highlighted that
times were still tough for criminal practitioners in
particular and for all of those who depended on
public funding for access to justice. But despite these
tough times there is much to be positive about and
the President encouraged the society members to
take advantage of next year’s International Festival for
Business and the national and international
opportunity that brings.

Front row, left to right: Dame Lord Muirhead DBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside;
Lord Heseltine CH; Lady Heseltine; Mr Alistair Fletcher, President; Mrs Glenys Hunt,
Vice President; Cllr Roz Gladden, Deputy Mayor; Cllr Gary Millar, The Lord Mayor of
Liverpool.
Back row, left to right: HHJ Goldstone QC, Hon. Recorder of Liverpool; Mr Andy
Bounds; Sheriff Ian Meadows OBE DL, the High Sheriff of Merseyside; Mr Jon Murphy
QPM, Chief Constable of Merseyside Police.
All that was left then was for the members and guests to dance the night away to live music from Madison,
or relax in the Derby room if the dance floor was a little too hot! The Annual Dinner is an event to
celebrate Liverpool Lawyers and the 2013 event did not disappoint. This year’s event proved that. Certainly
there seemed to be plenty of celebrations going on into the wee hours when the guests disappeared into
the night.

The Annual Dinner is an event which we, the city’s lawyers, a cornerstone of the region’s successful and
diverse financial and professional sector should be proud of and should be proud to invite our guests along
to. Where else will you hear anyone as well respected as Lord Heseltine praise the city’s professionals and
what better endorsement could we have.

Nina Ferris
Hill Dickinson LLP

There was then a break in proceedings and as the
wine flowed the noise levels in the room rose as over
400 members and guests enjoyed a delicious four
course meal of smoked salmon roulade, a main of fillet
of beef in whiskey sauce, light lime cheesecake
followed by a selection of English cheeses and coffee
and mints. The Vice President, Glenys Hunt, had her
work cut out then to resume order to continue the
speeches but did so admirably, thanking the guests and
sponsors and commenting on how despite the
economic climate it was heartening to see that the
profession in Liverpool is surviving and thriving as
evidenced by the new firms that were in attendance at
this year’s event.

The final speaker was Andy Bounds, author of The Jelly
Effect and The Snowball Effect. H[