Dear Lucy,

It was good to see you on television the other day once again sticking up for the poorer members of society – this time in terms of Legal Aid being withdrawn.  I just wanted to say many congratulations on becoming President of the Law Society.

You may not remember me  (Anno Domini gets us all doesn’t it ?!)  but I used to do my best in the mental health world initially for Springfield Patients Council and then for Consumer Forum, the user group at Hammersmith & Fulham MIND.  I must have referred people to you maybe via Steve at the Springfield Law Centre or through John Colquhoun at Penley’s in Dursley   – John and I shared a fine brother-in-law,  Andrew Ingram R.I.P. .  Adina Halpern may be a name you recall as well.

Anyway, you did/do valuable work in a field that few of your fellow solicitors would relish. I am so pleased that you have achieved such high status in your profession.

Funnily enough, back in April 1993,  I wrote a long letter to the Head of Professional Ethics at the Law Society (Redditch office) because an ex-Allen & Overy solicitor (now dead) , who was also my sole Trustee, had taken advantage of my own mental health problems to enrich himself . He even used some £12,000 of mine to pay one of his tax bills !  Because he was still registered with the Law Society and with the City of London Solicitors Company I thought the Law Society might at least strike him off their books. Sadly, my letter got passed to the Solicitors Complaints Bureau in Leamington Spa and came to naught.

I am sure that had you been in charge at the time this wouldn’t have happened !

All the best and many congratulations again,

Yours sincerely,

Jamie Summers