Legal Action understands that an internal investigation has been launched at the Law Society (LS) over the leaking of Catherine Dixon’s resignation letter (see editorial, page 3). The society’s chief executive resigned last month citing the slow progress in overhauling the organisation’s internal governance structures.

A senior member of the LS governing council, speaking to Legal Action, described Dixon’s resignation as ‘very sad’, but also said her ‘controlling’ management style was at the root of her departure. The source told Legal Action that Dixon had made the mistake of turning a recent narrowly lost vote in council on restructuring the organisation ‘into a vote of confidence in her’.

News of Dixon’s resignation was broken by the journalist Neil Rose on the Legal Futures website. Rose has good contacts at Chancery Lane having worked at the Law Society Gazette, the LS’s weekly magazine. Another source at the LS who spoke to Legal Action said they understood that Dixon had not intended her letter of resignation ‘to get into the public domain’. They believe it will be impossible to trace who leaked the letter to Rose as there are just under 100 members of council and 400 staff at the LS, all of whom might fall under suspicion.

Legal Action has canvassed opinion from a number of solicitors close to the LS and there seems to be consensus around the need for the organisation to change in order ‘to make decisions more quickly’, as one put it. There is also deep resentment against the regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Many fear that the arm’s-length body wants to break completely from the LS, taking control of the practice certificate fees and cutting off the organisation from its main income.