Nick Emmerson has been inaugurated as the 179th president of the Law Society of England and Wales, succeeding Lubna Shuja.

Emmerson is a partner at Lewis Mathys Emmerson LLP and specialises in international capital-market transactions and cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

As well as England and Wales, the organisation’s new president has been admitted as a solicitor in the Republic of Ireland and Hong Kong, and as an attorney at law in the US State of California. He has also worked in Japan, and speaks fluent Japanese.

‘Welcoming jurisdiction’

He has pledged to promote England and Wales as a “welcoming jurisdiction” to international markets.

“Solicitors help power the UK economy. Our legal services sector is central to the UK’s place on the international stage as an ideal place to do business,” Emmerson stated.

“I will work to promote our legal services to international markets and support our members who practise, or wish to practise, internationally,” the new president said.

‘Legal-aid deserts’

Emmerson also said that it was “critical” that the Law Society continued to focus on improving the justice system, upholding the rule of law and supporting members.

A previous president of Leeds Law Society, he stressed the importance of solicitors to local communities, pointing to what he described as “legal-aid deserts” in the north of England.

“We must adopt a regional focus in our work, so that justice is accessible in all parts of the country,” said Emmerson.