Bloomfielde berates society

LAW Society honorary auditor Leonard Bloomfield has fired a colourful broadside at Chancery Lane, raising fears that local societies are daring to debate issues like poverty.

In the annual report, Bloomfield appears outraged that seminars by an office he investigated had titles like 'Social law and the relief of poverty'.

"The society's assets and other resources ought in no circumstances covertly or overtly be used for national political ends," he says.

Bloomfield, new president Martin Mears' self-confessed soul mate, goes on to attack the council for secrecy.

"Very little financial information is vouchsafed to the council in open meeting," he says. "Even your honorary auditor is excluded."

In a curt reply on the same page, treasurer Richard Henchley says: "In every respect his 'report' is factually wrong."

In his presidential acceptance speech, Mears paid tribute to Bloomfield, who he described as "Chancery Lane's public enemy number two".

- The annual report contains details of senior staff salaries for the first time. The secretary-general appears to earn between £110,000 and £119,999, although the table of salaries does not identify the recipients by name.