Kennedy praises 'valuable' work of ILEX

Baroness Helen Kennedy QC has praised ILEX for bringing diversity to the legal profession, declaring that 'the law is too important' to be populated by people with similar backgrounds. Speaking at the ILEX Presidential Luncheon held in June at the Clothworkers Hall in London, the peer – a member of Doughty Street Chambers – said that coming from a working class family in Glasgow herself, she has 'made a point in my life as a lawyer of taking opportunities to promote the possibility that people should come into the law who are not from traditional backgrounds...  and can only improve it by bringing different perspectives'.

Baroness Kennedy continued: 'Huge changes have taken place in the law, and this Institute has played a vital part in creating that change.' Observing that people looking to enter the law 'are often set back very, very easily', she said that 'what they need is to have opportunities of many different kinds, which is why what ILEX is doing is so valuable to make possible those different opportunities and routes into the law'.

Looking at broader issues, Baroness Kennedy expressed concern that in the drive to cut public expenditure, 'it will be seen as easy to take a scythe to legal aid'. All lawyers need to do their bit in protecting legal aid and explaining why the law is so important to society, she said, before concluding: 'We should be proud of belonging to a profession that is vital to the wellbeing of society.'

Over 120 guests from across the legal and education professions came together to celebrate a year of ILEX progress. Hosted by ILEX President Judith Gordon-Nichols, among the guests present at the luncheon were Lord Neuberger, Master of the Rolls; Baroness Prashar, chairwoman of the Judicial Appointments Commission; Lord Bach, former justice minister; Liberal Democrat peers Lord Phillips of Sudbury and Lord Thomas of Gresford; Chris Kenny, chief executive of the Legal Services Board; Dr Dianne Hayter, chairwoman of the Legal Services Consumer Panel; and Charles Plant, chairman of the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Read the ILEX President's speech here.