• Comprises barristers, solicitors, academics, legal executives, law students and other legal professionals, plus others with an interest in the law, who are members of the Liberal Democrats

• Has members practising in all areas of the law, with considerable diversity of legal knowledge and experience

• Campaigns for liberal values in law reform and for the protection of civil liberties and human rights in the legal system and in our substantive law

• Contributes to the Liberal Democrats' policy making through working parties on legal policy and law reform

• Briefs members of the United Kingdom, European and Scottish Parliaments, the Welsh Assembly and other elected bodies on legal issues

• Responds to government consultations on proposed legislation

• Publishes the Legal Democrat magazine and a newsletter, which are free to members

• Organises regular conferences, lectures and meetings

• Holds an excellent annual dinner

• Is a registered CPD provider for relevant events

Anybody who has had any dealings with the law over the past few years, in whatever circumstances, will have become aware that we are going through a period of rapid change. Whilst some of it may well be for the better, there are, nevertheless, real causes for concern for anybody who believes in freedom and fairness under the law.

Under the guise of the “war against terror” - a phrase designed to obscure, rather than illuminate, the truth - our personal freedoms are being eroded. The cheap rhetoric of “ human rights for terrorists,” deployed by those who support extended detention and curtailments of liberties, ignores the fact that these are our rights, essential buffers between us and an increasingly powerful state.

Access to justice is essential if the rule of law is to be available to all, yet the legal aid system is in a mess, with the government preferring managerial solutions, screwing down rates of payment until the prospect of legal aid deserts becomes a reality, rather than confronting the reality of the situation - that it has, by constant ill considered legislation, added hugely to the burden which the system must carry without willing the means.

The law, both domestic and international, plays an essential role in society, and it is central to the sort of world which we live in, and that in which our children will live. Liberal Democrats want to see law used to empower, rather than to proscribe. We want to ensure that any interferences with our personal freedoms are justified and proportionate - no more than is absolutley necessary for the
safety of the citizen and social justice.

The Association exists to further this agenda. It provides a forum for discussion. It assists the party with information and expertise in relation to policy development. The Legal Democrat contains
articles of the highest calibre.

As you will see, two of our recent events dealt with two of the biggest challenges which we face:
domestically, the problems of youth crime and alienation; internationally, the prevalent and thorny problem of when intervention in failing / dangerous states is justified and the practical and legal problems involved.

So, if you are not a member, but believe that these are vital issues which need to be addressed, come on and join the Association, which is open to all members of the Party with an interest in the law. If you are not a member of the party - you ought to be.

Alistair Webster Q.C., Chairman.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2008: EXETER COLLEGE OXFORD

Chairman Alistair Webster Q.C., with David Howarth M.P., Shadow Minister of Justice and Senator David Colthart, Zimbabwean Human Rights lawyer

President:                Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC 
Deputy President:   Joyce Arram 
Chairman:               Alistair Webster Q.C
Vice-Chairmen:        David Ive 
Treasurer:               Amy Sullivan-Weeks 
Press Officer:           Kay Friend      
Secretary:               Jo Jackson