The new president of the Oldham Law Association has already made some changes to benefit young legal professionals in the borough.

Pamela Walsh was only recently promoted to the post in the past few weeks but has developed a new pathway to support paralegals, apprentices and legal assistants in the borough.

Becoming president was a "very proud day" in Ms Walsh's 24-year-long career.

She also works as a senior child care solicitor at the Oldham law firm, Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers.

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The Oldham Law Association (OLA) has been running for more than 100 years and meets every month, supporting and representing solicitors working or living in Oldham and the surrounding area.

The aim of the group is to highlight anything which may be of interest and of use to legal professionals, such as training, social activities, networking and development.

It also lobbies the government and other stakeholders on issues that affect the legal profession.

Ms Walsh said she the OLA has a "collective responsibility" to keep the organisation relevant in its support to the local community and its members.

Over the course of the next 12 months at the helm of the association, she said she hopes to develop plans - one of which has come to fruition already.

The Oldham Law Association Members One club was passed via a unanimous vote in April this year which has changed the definition of legal professionals who qualify to become members.

It now means a student or member of CILEX, a legal apprentice, a paralegal, legal assistant or a trainee licenced conveyancer, are now all eligible to join.

"I certainly hope they will want to.

"We all recognised the changing pathways to a legal career and want to be as inclusive as possible in our membership going forward.

"We are now starting a drive for new members and to hopefully welcome back some previous members", she added.

The group hopes to see members who are employed by the local authority as well as in-house lawyers from the private sector "as everyone has something unique to add".

Ms Walsh continued: "It is the concept of 'association' and by extension ‘community’ that appeals to me.

"The added value that comes from being a part of an association and the ability to offer relevant benefits such as training and networking, introducing junior members of the ‘member firms’ to those more experienced who may help or mentor them, to offer training and CPD and the intangible benefits of giving back and volunteering or supporting worthwhile causes and charities.

"I want to play my part in ensuring the OLA grows."

She also said she is keen to "reinvigorate" the association after Covid and "ensure it survives to help a future generation of young professionals".

When asked how relevant the OLA is in 2023,  Ms Walsh said she believes it is as important now "as the day it started".

"I just hope enough people agree with me for it to still be here in 2025, or even 2055.

"People are busy and the pandemic brought a lot of changes to the way we work, but the core values remain the same.

"I want the 18-year-old students we may support this year to be able to answer these types of questions when they are my age being asked how relevant the OLA is."

The OLA also supports many local charities and organisations, including Mahdlo Youth Zone which it has crowned as its 'charity of the year' for its work with children in Oldham.

"Pearson Solicitors is a patron for Mahdlo and I have talked to staff and some of the children who go and have seen for myself just how important their work is.

"The care work I do highlights the challenges some local families are facing and children are at the heart of those families.

"I wanted to do whatever was possible to help in any small way that I could as a person or as a firm", she added.

There will also be a number of events from the OLA over the course of the year, during which member firms will be invited and encouraged to raise money for the charities. 

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