Patrick Dorgan has become the 148th president of the Law Society, continuing a 177-year tradition since the election of the first president in 1841.
Patrick will serve a 12-month term at the head of the Irish solicitors’ profession, which comprises over 10,800 practising solicitors. The election was finalised at the 8 November 2018 Law Society Council meeting.
“It is a great honour to be elected President of the Law Society of Ireland at a time when there are over 18,000 names on the Roll of Solicitors,” he said. “The profession is growing rapidly, with nearly 1,000 solicitors added to the Roll last year.”
Focus on diversity and inclusion
Outlining his priorities for his term in office, Mr Dorgan highlighted a focus on diversity and inclusion within the profession.
“We are proud of the strides made in terms of equality and diversity within the Irish solicitors’ profession over many years, and never more so than when we became the first legal profession worldwide to achieve gender parity in 2015,” he said.
“We are now looking ahead, and one of my priorities as president will be to build on that achievement and further develop the strong policy of diversity and inclusion that is already at the core of the profession’s values.”
Opportunities
Mr Dorgan highlighted the opportunities that technology holds for solicitors and the wider legal profession in providing future-proof legal services and advice to businesses.
“Business is worried about the impacts from Brexit, and political change throughout Europe and the US in particular. Technology has changed profoundly the way we do business and go about our lives,” he said.
“Approached intelligently, these challenges are opportunities for smart businesses to thrive in new ways, and the solicitors’ profession is no different – it is younger, more diverse, more tech savvy, and generally more switched on to what business and consumers need from their lawyers than ever before.”