Birmingham Law Society has appointed its latest president who has vowed to place social mobility and diversity at the heart of his tenure. Tony McDaid is chief executive of No5 Barristers' Chambers in the city and the first non-lawyer to hold the post.
He qualified as a member of the Institute of Barristers' Clerks in 1988 and sits on its executive and management committees and the Bar Council Ethics Committee.
Mr McDaid is also treasurer of the West Midlands Irish Business Group and is a well-known figure on the Birmingham legal scene.
As chairman of the Birmingham Law Society International Committee, he brought the Commonwealth Lawyers Association to Birmingham in July for a joint conference with the law society.
He said during his one-year tenure he would focus on making the legal profession as accessible to as many people as possible, both for those seeking justice and those wanting a career. He also wants to address the issue of attracting more women into the profession and retaining them.
Speaking to society members at an event to mark the commencement of his post, he said: "I want the society under my leadership to be at the forefront of the campaign to provide greater access to the law.
"To be clear, this is not simply for aspiring solicitors and barristers but the myriad professions that are part of the Birmingham Law Society family and benefiting from being part of the legal profession.
"But we also need to go further than ever before. I will be engaging with inner city schools to pull back the curtain and let schoolchildren, who may not otherwise have exposure to such career paths, see and experience what a career in the law looks like and how it can be achieved.
"Our doors should not be closed to anyone and certainly not simply because a child comes from a poor, socio-economic background.
"I hope to inspire children so they can see here and now, in the city of Birmingham, there has never been a more welcoming period in our history for children to aspire to become part of our legal community."
Referring to his predecessor Inez Brown, he added: "In Inez, we had our first black president in our 200-year history. She will not be the last.
"I want to build on Inez's legacy and encourage even greater racial diversity, drawing Birmingham Black Lawyers closer to the society."
