A Year of Gateways, Growth and Games –The Master’s Reflections

When Edmund Parker assumed the Master’s chair of the City of London Solicitors’ Company last June, he declared his theme would be “Gateways”. Twelve months later, he has finished his Year, and the metaphor could hardly be more apt: Ed’s stewardship has opened new routes into membership, reinvigorated the Company’s sporting life and positioned the Livery as a modern‐minded partner for the City.

At the heart of the year lay a strategic renewal. Under Ed’s guidance, the Court approved a comprehensive review that streamlines Committee structures—including the creation of the new "Whittington LEMs" Committee to bring together Livery, Events, Membership, and Sports—sharpens financial controls and, critically, extends membership to solicitor-apprentices, paralegals seeking training contracts and trainees.   The new Committee was supported by a reinvigorated Communications Committee which has made the Company’s communications and social media offering the envy of other livery companies.

By broadening the base, the Company now mirrors the profession’s growing diversity and secures a “reverse-Everest” demographic – broad at the foot, soaring to a summit of experience. 

Ed also oversaw a major overhaul of the Company’s systems, implementing the Livery Management System which enabled online booking for events and activities, and leading a complete overhaul of the membership databases to ensure accuracy and efficiency in Company administration. 

No gateway has proved livelier than sport.  Prompted by Past Master David Biddle’s question “what became of our teams?”, the Master appointed a Captain of Sports, Liveryman Luca Cordelli, and together they have re-sown once fallow fields.  

Eleven squads – spanning football, rugby, netball, golf, bridge, tennis, padel, petanque, clay-pigeon shooting, skiing and the legendary Inter-Livery Cask Race – now train and turn-out for the Company under a single Livery Sports Initiative.  

An impressive number of members and guests have pulled on Company colours, with apprentices and junior lawyers forming the fastest-growing cohort.  

This year, Ed has also arranged for the Company to be entered into The Law Society Festival of Sport in September, where we will be fielding teams for Contact Rugby, Touch Rugby, Netball, and Football. We hope that these teams will have strong Solicitor Apprentice and Trainee participation, further strengthening our commitment to inclusivity and social mobility.  

Beyond competition, each team is embracing social-mobility projects: indoor golf tasters for non-golfers, city-centre clay days for newcomers, and a Hemel Hempstead “snow school” ahead of the 2026 Inter-Livery Ski Championships are all in the pipeline.  

Financial prudence has matched enthusiasm; a transparent funding plan combines participant fees, targeted sponsorship and a proposed matched-giving cup – the Parker Cup – ensuring the programme can stand alone by 2026. 

The year’s civic calendar was equally vigorous.   A modern-day record 300 guests dined beneath the Egyptian splendour of Mansion House for our Annual Banquet, the Company resumed its place in the Lord Mayor’s Show, and two standing-room lectures with the University of Law Alumni Association explored “Making Partner through the Ages” and “The City Lawyer of the 2050s”.   These events attracted impressive audiences of young legal professionals.

Two “Lucky Girls” events, an initiative started by Past Master Sarah de Gay to support and encourage female solicitors, were also held, furthering the Company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

Meanwhile, the newly launched History Society embarked on its maiden field-study visit to Portsmouth, proof that intellectual fellowship now complements physical endeavour.  The Society's informal 'pilot' event took place during the Master's Weekend in Portsmouth, where members enjoyed a curated programme including a private tour of HMS Warrior, guided visits to the Mary Rose Museum and HMS Victory, and a private dinner in the Nelson Gallery of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. The weekend continued with a visit to The D-Day Story Museum, a stop at Southsea Castle, and a tour of HMS Alliance, the Royal Navy's only surviving WWII-era submarine.  

Feedback from participants was unanimously positive, highlighting the balance of scholarship and camaraderie, the inclusion of partners, and the opportunity to learn from expert guides.  The Society was created to draw together members with a passion for historical study, organise visits, lectures, and discussion fora that complement the Company's civic traditions, and to research, preserve, and celebrate the Company's own institutional heritage.  With over thirty members joining at launch, the Society plans a varied programme of lectures, archive visits, walking tours, and historical talks in the coming year, and will also assist in safeguarding and cataloguing the Company's artefacts and records for future generations. 

Ed also noted a significant milestone during his year: the American Bar Association was holding its centenary event in London, marking 100 years since its first visit to the city. The Company History book records that the Livery Company held a joint event with the ABA on that occasion in 1924.  To commemorate this centenary, Ed organised a joint breakfast with the ABA and the City of London Law Society, celebrating a century of collaboration and strengthening ties for the future. 

Throughout, the Master was supported by the Mistress Solicitor, Panthea Parker, whose warmth and organisational flair were felt from welcoming cadets at Mansion House to marshalled teams on Southsea quays. Members testify that her hospitality and quiet counsel were the year’s indispensable constant. 

A further highlight of the year was the signing of the Military Covenant on behalf of the Livery Company by Ed. This significant act took place on Remembrance Day, which was also the date of the Company’s Livery Dinner, reaffirming the Company’s commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community.

Ed also converted the long-standing "Courts and Committees" Dinner into a new "Celebration of Impact" evening event, which showcased and celebrated the Company's good works through charities such as the City Solicitors' Educational Trust and the Social Welfare Solicitors Qualification Fund (SWSQF). This innovative event brought a different and more diverse audience to Company gatherings, broadening engagement and highlighting the Company's charitable impact. 

In addition to his role as Master, Ed also served as President of the City of London Law Society during this period. He took great strides in integrating the two organisations, fostering closer collaboration and ensuring that the Company and the Society worked hand in hand to advance the interests of City solicitors. 

More broadly, Ed supported the Livery Company in the broader livery movement. He attended over 80 events, including banquets and lectures, dining with the judges at the Old Bailey, attending the Buckingham Palace Garden party, taking a full part in Remembrance Day events, and voting for the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs. 

As Ed hands the baton to his successor, Virginia Cannon, he leaves a Company energised, outward-looking and thoroughly fit – on balance sheet and on playing field alike. The gateways he has opened now beckon a new generation to walk, run – or sprint – through.