Ferguson said it was with a mixture of relief and sadness that he was leaving the role. He said his time as president of the Society had been the pinnacle of his career in a lot of ways. “I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve met a lot of interesting people and made a lot of friendships,” he said. “After two years you really become a part of things.”

A highlight of his time as president had been the introduction of the national legal profession reforms and Queensland’s compulsory professional development scheme, he said. “I really enjoyed being involved at a national level, I’m committed to a national profession.”

Ensuring that both initiatives functioned properly would be a challenge for the incoming executive, Ferguson added. Other challenges ahead for both the Society and the profession as a whole would be insurance, the ongoing issue of tort reform and skills shortages in regional areas.

Ferguson said if tort reform was worked through in a “well-managed way with the government”, Queensland could realistically arrive at a system that everyone was happy with. He said it was an issue that Davis was “very passionate” about.

Ferguson will remain with the executive as immediate past president for 12 months and will continue in his role as director of the Law Council for the next two years.

Cairns practitioner Joe Pinder was elected into the role of deputy president, Megan Mahon of Toowoomba will be vice president and Ian Berry, Peter Eardley, Lynnette Galvin and Don Armit will be the Raoul Guides. “The incoming team has received strong support from the membership and it is particularly pleasing that there is an excellent spread of Councillors from throughout the state,” Ferguson said.