As the representative, regulatory, and educational body for solicitors in Ireland, we need to be prepared, open, and inclusive to cope with uncertainties and respond to an evolving legal landscape. Following 12 months’ consultation and engagement with the profession and other stakeholders, we launched the Law Society’s Statement of Strategy 2024-2028 to guide us through these challenges and empower us to take advantage of opportunities, so that we can “support and shape a just and accessible legal system that works for all, as a foundation for a modern, thriving, and progressive society”. As a leading and influential voice in the legal, governmental, and public sphere, the Law Society proactively engages with ministers, senior officials, and public bodies on key access to justice and law reform issues on behalf of the solicitors' profession and in the public interest. Priority issues for the past year included the Family Courts Bill, conveyancing system reform, criminal legal aid fees, and the Decision Support Service’s system for creating an enduring power of attorney.

In partnership with other organisations, the Law Society has called for urgent changes to the Family Courts Bill to safeguard the best interests of children, families, and survivors of domestic violence. This statement was made in conjunction with the Cork Family Lawyers Association, Clinical Assessors in Family Law Ireland CLG, Dublin Solicitors Bar Association, One Family, Rape Crisis Network Ireland, Safe Ireland, Treoir, and Women’s Aid, as we work together towards the goal of a better family justice system. We have continued to call for a complete overhaul of the conveyancing system. We engaged with the Government’s Housing for All Working Group on Conveyancing and Probate, participated in the Oireachtas Justice Committee meeting on the Seller’s Legal Pack for Property Buyers Bill, and published a consumer guide to ‘Speed Up Your Property Sale’ in partnership with the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland (SCSI).

The Law Society has also been to the fore in engaging with the Department of Justice on funding and reforms for the criminal legal aid scheme. While there has been some progress in the last 12 months, the Law Society has said that increased investment in criminal legal aid fees paid to solicitors and barristers is only a step in the right direction, and still far below what was paid more than a decade ago when the original cuts were made in 2009. A clear pathway and timeline to achieve full restoration and have a sustainable system must be put in place.

Solicitors have been particularly vocal in highlighting the deficiencies and dysfunctions with the implementation of the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015. The system implemented by the Decision Support Service (DSS) for creating an enduring power of attorney is causing excessive delays and extreme frustration to the public and the profession. The Law Society has made significant recommendations for improvements and will continue to engage intensively with the DSS and the Government on what is needed to make the process more accessible and efficient.

Enabling solicitors to thrive

Another of our strategic priorities is to enable solicitors to thrive and ensure excellence in the provision of legal services in every community across the country. We launched a ‘Services for Solicitors’ campaign in June to raise awareness of the many Law Society services we offer to have a positive impact on your career and professional life, and which are used by thousands of solicitors every year. Some of the services we spotlighted included:

• Professional development (22,076 participants in 169 CPD courses),

• Library services (4,019 research queries from solicitors),

• Career support (including 1,973 participants in the High Impact Professional Series),

• Practice support (960 practice notes and 6,814 Four Court room bookings),

• Advocacy (24 justice and law reform submissions).

Another key Law Society service is the support of the mental health and wellbeing of solicitors. In the ten years since we started our counselling service for trainee solicitors, 15,000 appointments have been provided to 2,722 trainees from 385 legal workplaces. We are now expanding these services to the whole profession and, in 2024, there has been a strong response to the provision of subsidised, accessible psychotherapy to solicitors through our partnership with Clanwilliam Institute. This has clearly demonstrated the level of need for this valuable service.

We are also working to lead the development of a better working culture within the legal profession. One of the key initiatives is the ‘Well Within the Law” project, which is a collaboration with RDJ LLP as a pilot programme to develop a blueprint for how legal organisations can evolve to support the psychological wellbeing and development of their people. We will be looking to enhance these and other services to solicitors in the years ahead, based on feedback received from the profession.

Promoting effective regulation

Regulation of the profession assures public trust and high standards of professionalism. The Law Society continues to efficiently perform its regulatory functions, while also launching initiatives to promote more effective regulation.

The Law Society was a party in 42 cases before the superior courts this year, provided witness evidence in two criminal prosecutions, and was joined as an amicus curiae in two cases before the Supreme Court, in respect of the test for objective bias in judicial proceedings and the parameters of an inquiry into the conduct of a commissioner for oaths, and one case in the High Court regarding the limitation on direct access to counsel in contested proceedings. In the 12-month period to 30 June 2024, there were 105 payments made from the Compensation Fund in respect of claims, totalling over €2 million. Six practices were closed, with 3,373 clients and third parties notified of these closures.

Initiatives to promote more effective regulation included a new helpline, a webinar series to address regulatory challenges and provide practical support, and a campaign to raise awareness of the new Solicitors Accounts Regulations, which came into effect on 1 July 2023. A new Law Society ‘Regulatory Performance’ service will aim to reduce the number of distressed and abandoned practices, and we continue to support compliance with anti-money-laundering (AML) legislation through services like the AML helpline and dedicated website resources.

The earlier launch of the 2024 practising certificate renewal, on 1 December 2023, led to more than double the applications received by 31 December, compared to the same period in 2022.

Education and learning experience

The core educational offering of the Law Society continues to be very attractive. Currently, we have over 1,500 trainee solicitors at different stages of their journey to qualification. In 2023, a total of 3,174 candidates undertook the FE1 entrance exams, 413 of whom came through our ‘accelerated access’ scheme, initiated in 2020 to facilitate access to aspiring solicitors from all walks of life.

With over 22,000 solicitors attending 169 Law Society courses in 2023, we continue to offer a wide variety of topics, which are reviewed every year. The Law Society is also committed to fostering inclusivity for a changing profession that reflects the public it represents, including providing a range of outreach programmes in primary and secondary schools. So far, over 18,000 transitionyear students have taken part in outreach initiatives like the TY Law Module and ‘Solicitors of the Future’ programmes, aimed at demystifying legal careers.

This year, we are celebrating ten years of hosting the annual massive open online courses, which are an important part of the Law Society’s access to legal education and public legal education initiatives. Since launching in 2014, over 30,000 candidates have taken part in these courses, from more than 80 countries.

In February, the Law Society signed the pledge to become an Ally of the disAbility Legal Network, to further underline our commitment to increasing awareness and working towards a more inclusive legal sector. As demands increase and needs change, we have been working on a holistic masterplan for the Law Society property portfolio to meet anticipated needs in the short, medium, and long term. It outlines several options for the Law Society to explore and develop its 28,400sqm campus, including the Green Hall extension, which will extend our campus by 23%, so we can be prepared for the future.

Law is all about people. As well as expertise and experience, practitioners also bring empathy and equity, and act as counsel in difficult times. Therefore, ensuring excellence in the solicitors’ profession is core to achieving our strategic direction. There will be challenges over the coming five years, but nothing we cannot overcome together. I look forward to charting this new path with you and setting an even higher standard of excellence for the legal profession.

Mark Garrett,
Director General