Re: Summer 2015 | Page 7

June and about which you will be hearing more elsewhere. More widely, the role of the Chairman is to act as the firm’s “leading representative which will involve the presentation of the [firm’s] aims and policies to the outside world” – at least according to the Institute of Directors’ summary of the role. In practice this will mean me attending various events and evangelising about the firm whenever I get the chance. The great thing about that for me is that I genuinely find it very easy to sing the firm’s praises. I joined Wynne Baxter Godfree in 1987 and have stayed with the firm through various incarnations ever since. It does not look as if I can quite repeat that period of time again (although the retirement age does seem to be creeping up and up, so who knows?), but I am still very much enjoying being here, so hope I can manage a few more years yet. Part of the current attraction is the variety in each day. As a solicitor my professional work involves work relating to contracts – disputes and drafting – and intellectual property. These are everchanging areas of law that touch upon all sorts of business arrangements and so the variety of matters to be dealt with is never-ending. Added to the legal work and the internal role, the representative element comes not only at events but also indirectly through contributions to the business community. Mayo Wynne Baxter has always taken the long view in terms of its commitments to business and local communities. Our philosophy is that we have a legacy of hundreds of years, and to extend our own success it is important that the economies of “our” towns (and city) thrive on a long term basis - so that we can too. We also accept that whilst it is one thing to hope for this, that is not really enough and so we should commit to being involved in trying to make that happen. As a consequence a number of partners and directors, me included, participate in various economic and business groups and initiatives. I should add that this is in addition to the many charitable and educational organisations to which many partners and staff devote time and effort either as trustees, governors or fundraisers. {Note to the Editor – perhaps a feature in itself in due course?}. To my mind this is all evidence of the commitment that Mayo Wynne Baxter has to its role as a good “corporate citizen”. I am not particularly keen on these sorts of labels and terms which can become mired in fashionable jargon, and generally come with a few acronyms thrown in for good measure. However, I am keen – and am happy that the partnership as a whole shares this enthusiasm – on the sentiments and actions (especially the latter) that these terms attempt to describe. As a significant business in all of the local communities in which we are based, we are in a position to contribute to the debates and initiatives which will shape those economies for years to come. Happily I know that we are not alone in those sentiments. I meet many other business people around the county, putting in hours and days of valuable contribution to similar bodies and initiatives, without whom our economies would undoubtedly be the poorer. If you have ever pondered on volunteering for such a role, or have been approached but have not been sure whether to accept, F