AS he becomes the president of the Law Society of England and Wales this week, the thing Andrew Holroyd will miss the most is his clients in Liverpool.
Mr Holroyd, a partner at Jackson and Canter, takes up the full-time post, which is based in London, on Thursday.
“It is a great honour to be president,� he said.
“It was an opportunity that I had to take, and unfortunately put other things on hold.
“It is a real tribute to the firm, also, that they have allowed me to do this. It will mean some sacrifices, but it says a lot that they are willing to release me for the year.�
It is the latest high point in a successful legal career spanning more than 30 years.
Mr Holroyd served as the president of Liverpool Law Society in 1993, and became a member of the Law Society council in 1996.
He has served on its training committee and then the standards board.
As president, well as acting as an ambassador at home and internationally, he will be dealing with a variety of professional matters, such as the forthcoming Legal Services Bill and other government matters, the introduction of Home Information Packs, the continuing issue of the availability of Legal Aid, and assessing ethics within the industry.
He said: “There is a lot on the agenda, but the thing that impresses me is how most law firms are progressive and are staying ahead of those issues.
“It is a very diverse profession, covering many areas.
“Particularly in Liverpool – the legal market is very successful, and will continue to do well in future.�
Now Jackson and Canter’s longest serving partner, Mr Holroyd began his career there in 1975 from their offices in the Rialto building in Toxteth, which was later burned down during the 1981 riots.
Keen to maintain a presence in the area, he and a small group of colleagues continued to work from a portacabin nearby before opening offices in Princes Road in Toxteth and Church Street in the city centre.
The firm specialises in issues of immigration and asylum and other social areas.
Mr Holroyd, who is also a Methodist lay preacher, received the OBE for services to publicly funded legal work in Liverpool in 2003.
He said: “It has always been part of the ethos of this firm, that those who don’t have power aren’t left powerless when something happens."