News
Outgoing Chair of The Solicitors’ Charity, Shams Rahman, on “Listening, Learning and Leading with Care” – a personal reflection
Shams Rahman has served on Board of The Solicitors’ Charity for the past decade. He is a Partner at London firm Edwin Coe where he is a member of the firm’s Management Board and Head of Contentious Trusts and Estates.
As his term of office as Chair ends, he shares his insights:
“As I step down as Chair, it feels like a wonderful journey, where brilliant progress has been made and will continue. After serving as a Trustee for ten years and as Chair for the past two, no one moment stands out from the rest – our work stretches well beyond any single initiative or headline. I have witnessed transformation both within the charity and across the legal community.
More people now know who we are and what we do and feel able to come forward. We’ve done immense work in building our c.170-year-old brand and reputation to become known as the leading support for solicitors, whatever their needs may be.”
As the legal profession confronts rising pressures – from cost-of-living challenges to emotional strain and professional uncertainty – so too has the demand for support from The Solicitors’ Charity grown. The latest Big Report highlighted a 33% increase in the number of solicitors helped in a single year, alongside £1.2 million directed towards wellbeing support. This surge reflects not just need, but also confidence: more solicitors now know the Charity exists and feel empowered to reach out for help.
Shams says: “The legal profession is often defined by competence and resilience. Yet one of the clearest truths I have learned is that lawyers are not immune to life’s disruptions. Illness, job loss, financial strain, and personal crisis do not distinguish between junior and senior, or between those who advise others for a living and those being advised.”
“Bad things happen to good people, including highly capable solicitors who never expected to need help themselves and have devoted their professional life to helping others. Providing support with dignity, discretion, and care has been at the heart of everything we do.”
“A defining shift during my tenure has been a move beyond traditional financial assistance to a holistic approach that embraces emotional, professional, and practical wellbeing.
“Collaborating with specialist partners, from counselling services to career transition advisors, has extended our capacity and enriched the support we can provide. These partnerships recognise the reality that hardship rarely fits into neat categories and that truly effective support must be interconnected.
“Some of the most powerful moments during my time as Chair have been the least visible. Helping someone regain independence by funding essential equipment such as a specialist wheelchair; supporting a solicitor who has lost their job and needs time, space, training, and guidance to find a way forward again.”
“Being named Charity Collaboration of the Year at the Association of Charitable Organisation’s annual awards, for our partnership with LawCare, was a meaningful moment. It recognised years of quiet, practical collaboration around mental health and wellbeing, and reinforced the idea that charities supporting the legal profession are strongest when they work together.”
He adds: “…. By strengthening ties with local law societies, we have made sure solicitors throughout England and Wales understand that support is accessible, personal and rooted in their own communities. The example set by organisations such as the Bournemouth & District Law Society reminds us that local commitment drives national impact.”
Shams concludes: “As I hand over the leadership to I. Stephanie Boyce, former President of The Law Society, I am confident the charity’s direction is strong and its mission more vital than ever.
The charity is reaching more people, responding to more complex needs, and doing so through collaboration rather than isolation. “
