The Opening of the Legal Year (“OLY”) 2024 in England and Wales was held from 30 September and 1 October in London, the U.K. On behalf of the Law Society, President Roden Tong was invited to attend the event. 

Early in the morning of 30 September, Mr Tong took the opportunity to call on Mr Richard Atkinson, then-Incoming President of The Law Society of England and Wales, to discuss topics of common interest. Later, Mr Tong was invited by Mr Atkinson and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (“CLA”) President to a Commonwealth Bar Leaders’ Briefing where some recent initiatives and plans of the CLA were shared. What followed in the afternoon was an insightful Bar Leaders’ Discussion with a focus on the role of lawyers’ associations in the lead-up to, during, and after elections.

On 1 October, Mr Tong and bar leaders from across the globe attended the service for the OLY and made their way to Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster in procession for a reception that allowed brief yet meaningful conversations between the Lord Chancellor, the Chief Justice, judges, other members of the legal profession and participating overseas bar leaders.

The two leaders of the solicitors’ profession from common law jurisdictions exchanged updates on the respective legal landscapes and had a very fruitful discussion.

The OLY has been a fixture in the legal calendar since the Middle Ages, when judges attended a service in Westminster Abbey and prayed for guidance at the start of the new legal term.