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This report outlines key objectives from the Law Society’s 2024-2028 Statement of Strategy, significantly shaped by feedback from over 2,200 solicitors on the Law Society’s priorities. In the first year, we made considerable progress on several key priorities for the profession.

Justice and law reform

The general election in November 2024 provided an opportunity for the Law Society to encourage political parties to give greater priority to justice and law reform, and specifically the issues where solicitors can provide a unique insight.

Ahead of the election, we published A New Agenda for Justice to set out the Law Society’s key policy priorities. This document formed the basis for a series of meetings with most major political parties in the run-up to the vote.

Several of these policy priorities were reflected in the manifestos and, importantly, a number of the Law Society’s policy reforms were included in the Programme for Government published in January 2025. These included commitments to investing in the courts system, review of the Assisted Decision-Making Act, developing a solicitor’s portal for enduring-powerof- attorney applications, the restoration of criminal legal-aid fees, reforming property law, and promoting diversity in the profession.

While their inclusion in the Programme for Government was a significant achievement, it is just the beginning. We have been continuing to engage with ministers, senior officials, and members of the Oireachtas to secure implementation of these proposals. In the period since the election, we have had in the region of 15 meetings – and this engagement will continue.

Law Society committees, largely comprising solicitor volunteers, play an important role in representing the profession’s interests. Using their expert insights, we regularly provide constructive input into consultation processes on proposed changes to policy or legislation, making 27 submissions in 2024.

Building an influential voice

Another way of ensuring the voice of solicitors is heard is through the media. Alongside the formal meetings and submissions, the Law Society undertook a media campaign to raise serious issues over the assisted decision-making system. The purpose of the campaign was to bring greater public attention to ongoing delays in obtaining an enduring power of attorney, as well as its unnecessarily complex and restrictive digital approach. Separately, solicitors have long called for systemic reform of the conveyancing system and continue to work actively for that reform. The Law Society developed and promoted a new consumer guide to help speed up property sales, along with the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. Solicitors can offer this guide to their clients to help them to navigate the current process and avoid delays where possible.

The Law Society continued to spotlight stories of solicitors and their contribution to the profession and society, highlighting the many pathways into law, the Law Society’s Access Programme, and our public legal-education initiatives. We hosted the annual Justice Media Awards, which recognise excellence in journalism that enhances public understanding of justice, the legal system, and legal issues. In its 30th year, we received a record breaking 400 entries, demonstrating a high level of participation from the media.

Providing leadership

The Centre for Justice and Law Reform has been established by the Law Society to provide innovative and long-term thinking on justice and law reform issues. It has been tasked with publishing evidence-based research and fostering debate on issues concerning access to justice; economic, social, and cultural rights; democratic norms; and evolving legal services.

The Law Society also launched a new ‘In Conversation’ series of online lunchtime talks in 2024, where we invited leaders across political and economic sectors to share their expert insights on topics that affect solicitors, our economy, and wider society. This series is continuing in 2025, with a focus on current issues of interest to the profession. Providing services that support and enable future and current solicitors to be high-performing professionals is a high priority for the Law Society.

All PPC trainees took part in the ‘Complete Lawyer’ course, which is designed to harness the power and potential of trainee solicitors for enhanced learning, wellbeing, and success. The Law Society offers clinical services, consultancy, practical resources, webinars, and events for legal professionals at all levels, in all sectors. Over 970 attendees attended the online Law Society Skillnet Wellbeing Summit in October 2024.

The Law Society is also a strategic partner for cultural change within the profession. Following a pilot phase, we have established five key partnerships across public, non-profit, and private legal workplaces under our ‘Culture First: Well Within the Law’ consultancy initiative, with more to come.

Education excellence

The Professional Practice Course 2024 welcomed 542 trainee solicitors, while 2,604 candidates took the FE-1 entrance exams. Attendance at CPD courses and events went up this past year, with 26,412 registrations for 176 courses. Over 3,500 participants from 78 countries took part in the free, open, online course on environmental, social, and governance in 2024.

Increasing access

Since the Law Society introduced the PPC Hybrid in 2019, it has resulted in increased diversity in terms of location, gender, and age of trainee solicitors. Of the 100 trainees who joined the course in December, 65% were based outside of Dublin. Over a third of the trainees on the PPC Hybrid course are aged 30 or older, and 74% are female. Growing year on year, the hybrid course enables people who may not otherwise be able to study law, due to personal or socio-economic reasons, to become solicitors. There are currently 203 individuals participating in the Law Society’s Access Scholarship Scheme, which aims to reduce barriers for those seeking to enter, return to, or progress within the solicitors’ profession. In total, 113 individuals are receiving financial support in respect of FE-1 exams while, 90 individuals are receiving financial support in respect of the full-time and hybrid PPC.

Supporting solicitors

The Law Society provides a range of practice development, career development, and information services that are used widely by solicitors. For example, during 2024, there were:

• 26,412 participants in 176 CPD courses,
• 1.5m visitors to the Law Society's website,
• 4,019 legal queries handled by the Law Society Library,
• 60 mentoring relationships established through the Women in Leadership programme, with 115 mentors and mentees participating, and
• 32 solicitors supported through a programme for solicitors returning to work after an extended absence.

November 2024 saw the launch of a new Law Society practice support to help practitioners grow, sustain, and operate their practices more efficiently. The Legal Services Excellence Standard has been designed by solicitors for solicitors, and firms can apply now to achieve accreditation. Seven small firms across the country were successfully accredited in 2024 by the National Standards Authority of Ireland.

A series of online information sessions for practising solicitors on various themes – including the enduring-power-ofattorney process, pensions, and the leadership series – reached 1,195 solicitors. A dedicated Solicitor Services team attended events in Blackhall and around the country to spotlight key services, meet members, hear about challenges, and provide collateral to support practising solicitors. To make it easier to get in contact with the Law Society, a single solicitor-services email was set up that responds to an average of 300 email queries a month.

The Law Society held quarterly meetings with 29 bar associations, which provided presidents and secretaries with an opportunity to highlight current challenges for members. They also enabled the Law Society to share updates on key issues and services, in addition to sending a regular bar association newsletter.

Effective regulation

Core Law Society regulatory functions protect the public interest and the profession by ensuring effective regulation. These functions and the work of the Regulation of Practice Committee (ROPC) operate under financial regulation, practice regulation, regulatory legal services and, since the end of 2024, a newly constituted anti-money laundering business unit.

Under the mantle of financial regulation, there were 350 annual inspections, 2,148 reporting accountants’ reports examined and processed, and 775 items considered by the ROPC.

With an early opening of the 2025 practising certificate (PC) renewal in December and successful integration of a new digital payment system, we were able to issue 44% of PCs within 24 hours.

One ‘A’-rated insurer for professional indemnity insurance (PII) was added, and premiums were at the lowest level since 2018/19 for the approximate 2,105 firms requiring PII.

In terms of practice closures, 3,221 files were managed across four practices.

Regulatory Legal Services

Maintaining high standards and regulatory compliance is important for the profession and the public. A total of 21 appeals/ applications went before the Court of Appeal, with four applications successfully defended. Eleven appeals/applications went before the High Court. One inquiry was concluded in the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal, 22 concluded in the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, and there were 24 regulatory applications to the High Court. There were two written regulatory judgments and one judgment regarding direct access (Law Society was amicus curiae) in the High Court. In the Supreme Court, the Law Society participated in one inquiry and one appeal as amicus curiae concerning the criteria that apply to the establishment of judicial bias.

There were 112 claim payments made from the Compensation Fund, totalling over €2.6 million during the year ended 31 December 2024.

We conducted anti money-laundering (AML) inspections of 342 firms, of which 169 were fully compliant, 169 were partially compliant, and four were non-compliant. A single AML unit with expanded resources has been established to better support the Law Society’s statutory role as the competent authority for solicitor compliance.

It’s clear that the challenge for practising solicitors in managing regulatory requirements is only increasing. To help address this issue, we launched a central hub for all regulatory resources and a free helpline for solicitors, which includes guidance and training on AML.

How we operate

The Law Society is committed to simplifying processes and developing our people, which in turn has a positive impact on member services. In December 2024, we launched a new payment solution that increased the rate of practising certificate renewals, with 93% issued to solicitors within 48 hours and a 97% acceptance rate, dramatically improving access and experience. We also introduced a ‘total facilities management’ model and aligned IT strategy to strengthen operations and support strategic goals. We earned the IBEC ‘KeepWell’ mark for our corporate wellbeing strategy, and published ABC’s first gender paygap report, shaping our DEI, recruitment, and engagement efforts.

Future-focused

This was the first year of the Law Society Statement of Strategy 2024-2028. I’m confident it gives us the foundation to build on the progress we have already made, and puts us in a good position to navigate future challenges with optimism.

The Law Society will continue to prioritise and develop services for solicitors that respond to evolving societal, political, and economic challenges, while championing the profession as a leader in justice and law reform.

Mark Garrett,
Director General