Guidance & Ethics Committee

The function of the Law Society's Guidance & Ethics Committee is to provide guidance to solicitors on ethical matters that arise in practice. This guidance is provided in a number of ways:

• The Guidance and Ethics Helpline: solicitors concerned about their own position on any matter of conduct should contact the secretary (hyperlink to Mary Ann McDermott’s email address) to the committee, who will assist by directing querists to published material, including guidance and practice notes and the Solicitors Guide to Professional Conduct. 

• CPD talks: in conjunction with the Law Society’s CPD Skillnet team and the Bar Association network, the committee delivers talks on a wide range of ethical matters including: 

  • ethics and professional conduct,

  • legal privilege,

  • solicitors’ undertakings,

  • conflicts of interest, and

  • transferring files

• The Solicitors Guide to Professional Conduct: Last updated in 2022 the Guide represents Law Society policy and recommendations and is the primary source material used for teaching ethics to trainee solicitors. 

• Panel to Assist Solicitors in Regulatory Difficulty: This panel is made up of solicitors who are willing to assist colleagues who have found themselves engaged in a regulatory process with either the Law Society or the Legal Services Regulatory Authority.

To learn more, visit the Guidance & Ethics Committee page or contact the Guidance & Ethics Committee Secretary.

Additional supports and helplines

• Anti-Money Laundering (AML): If a solicitor has a money-laundering concern in respect of a client, you are advised to make a suspicious transaction report.  For other queries, email aml@lawsociety.ie

• Cybersecurity: cybersecurity@lawsociety.ie  

• Guidance and Ethics Committee helpline: Committee secretary: David Mulvihill - d.mulvihill@lawsociety.ie  

• Panel to Assist Solicitors in Regulatory Difficulty: view panel members

• Practising Certificate queries: pc@lawsociety.ie  

• PII helpline : 01 879 8707 or piihelpline@lawsociety.ie  

• Solicitors Accounts Regulations (including Law Society inspections and reporting accountants’ reports): financialregulation@lawsociety.ie  

External supports

View information on supports provided by external bodies or delivered independently of the Law Society below.

Useful booklets

You can download a selection of booklets with useful information below.

• How to handle a complaint

• Regulation of Practice Committee Booklet 2024

• Privacy Statement for Inspections

• Law Society Statement of Practice