Solicitors have never had so many options to vote on the future of the profession. In what she describes as a "personal plea" Janet Hood asks everyone to get involved and use their vote to decide whether the Law Society should retain their representative role.

Well we are speeding towards yet another referendum and the AGM. The referendum is to determine who should represent the profession in Scotland. Should be the Law Society of Scotland? In my view the only choice can be the Law Society of Scotland - your current representative body. Why am I saying this? Is it because I am a member of Council and anxious to maintain the status quo?

Those of you who know me will be aware that I am not easily coerced and that if I believed another body could represent us more effectively I should be happy to say so. I am not of that view for the following reasons:-  The Society is a very broad church and it strives to represent all members of the Solicitors profession in Scotland. It's Council comprises lawyers from the high street, the civil and criminal bar, local government, big firms, niche firms, commerce, industry, business, central government, fiscal service and others : all of these Council members work to ensure that their cohort whether it be faculty, bar association or special interest group is appropriately represented and that their views are made clear and the profession's elected representatives then take decisions - often difficult decisions on behalf of the profession as a whole while recognising the needs of its constituent parts.

The Society staff work hard to serve and assist us no matter where we work : no one can doubt that the sterling work carried out by the teams in professional practice, education, admissions, communications, law reform to name but a few of the services provided benefit us all.

The Society is one of a number of member regulators which role in itself should be seen as positive for the profession, as surely members of the profession also benefit if the dishonest or incompetent are dealt with by persons who are acutely aware of how the profession requires to operate in these complex and difficult times.

The Society by representing all solicitors is able to maintain the guarantee fund and more importantly, negotiate the master policy for the benefit of all solicitors in private practice.

The Society is able to to communicate with the profession and to receive the views of the profession and to act for the benefit of the profession as a whole. No single interest group could take on these roles. The GBA and other bar associations - quite rightly concerned with the level of legal aid - are represented on Council. The WS Society - whose Chief Executive has voiced his opinion in the debate - are represented on Council. In house lawyers are represented on Council. High street practitioners are represented on Council. Niche firms are represented on Council. Traditionalists and Modernisers are represented on Council. No other single body could be said to be coming close to enabling the profession to have a single voice and no other single body genuinely has the interests of the profession as a whole at its heart. It is right that there should be strong representatives of the different sections of our wonderful profession. It is wrong to set out to destroy the professional body without which we will not be able to drive forward the professional standards and ethics which we all hold dear. So I ask you to vote to retain the Law Society as your professional body and to get involved. Stand, take part in the committees of the Law Society and represent your sectoral interests effectively for the good of us all. I should think that every member has a say and please don't lose that.