Your Law Society

Today, we have launched a new strategy for the Law Society that focuses on representing, promoting and supporting you, our members.

You may remember that we committed earlier in the year to think about the future for the solicitor profession and how the Law Society should support solicitors as they prepare for the changes ahead. I wrote in the Gazette about our plans to engage with the profession as we developed our thinking.

From April to June, we had wide-ranging and open conversations about our future role. That process included many face-to-face meetings, events, writing articles to generate debate and having discussions on social media. We discussed the future of legal services, legal education and training, and what good regulation could look like for our members. We explored issues around the ‘brand of the solicitor’ – seeking to understand the values that bind our profession together, and also to identify common themes of how clients and the public regard solicitors and the legal profession.

In August and September we set out our draft strategic aims and asked for your views. We received useful and valuable insight from you which has enabled us to finalise and agree our new strategy – so thank you.

Vision and aims

Our strategy sets out our vision for the Law Society and for the profession.

We want the Law Society to be valued and trusted as a vital partner to represent, promote and support solicitors while upholding the rule of law, legal independence, ethical values and the principle of justice for all.

To help us achieve that vision, we have developed three strategic aims.

Aim 1: Representing solicitors – we will represent solicitors by speaking out for justice and on legal issues.

• By being recognised as the authoritative and knowledgeable voice of solicitors and the legal profession, we will speak to those with a key role in shaping our legal system.
• We will seek to ensure we are listened to by governments in England and Wales, and internationally.
• We will raise awareness of the role of solicitors and the importance of fair and proportionate regulation, an independent legal profession and justice for all.

Aim 2: Promoting solicitors - we will promote the value of using a solicitor at home and abroad.

• We are proud of the profession and will celebrate what it means to be a solicitor. We will promote the benefits of using solicitors to the public and to business. We will positively differentiate solicitors from other providers of legal services, whether the services are provided by a law firm or through a solicitor working in-house.
• We will promote the law of England and Wales as the jurisdiction of choice and the value that legal services bring to the economy.
• We will encourage the best candidates to join the profession regardless of their background and highlight the significant contribution solicitors make.

Aim 3: Supporting solicitors – we will support solicitors to develop their expertise and their businesses, irrespective of whether they work for themselves, in-house or for a law firm.

• We will be at the forefront of identifying issues and market trends that may affect solicitors, helping them to prepare for the future.
• By providing accessible, relevant and high-quality education and training, we will support our members’ career development. This will enable our members to innovate and compete in changing markets, differentiating themselves from other providers of legal services while raising professional and ethical standards.
• We will help members who want to expand internationally by opening up new legal markets as well as identifying opportunities in the domestic market.
• We will target information, products and services where they are most needed. By building our understanding of the roles, career stage, priorities and specialism of each of our members, we will respond to their diverse and individual needs.

Everything we do is to ensure that we represent, promote and support solicitors and support justice for all. From today, you can see our full strategy and our three-year plan to deliver it on our website.

So what difference will it make?

We know our membership is incredibly diverse, from the range of areas of law you work in to your career stage. We know the profession is changing too, whether you work in England or Wales, overseas, in-house, for a firm or for yourself. This means that one size does not fit all and we have to offer a range of services to meet our members’ needs. Our strategy will help us focus on what you have told us is important and we will report on our activities and keep listening to ensure we remain relevant and meet your needs whenever we can.

Next month, we will publish our report The Future of Legal Services. This is our horizon scan of the issues impacting on our profession in the coming years. We hope that the report will help you consider and prepare for the future.   

We want to know more about our members so that we can support you better. In the new year, we will be launching ‘My Law Society’ and asking you to give us more information about your career stage and interests so that we can further tailor the information you get from us. Once registered, your My Law Society home page will give you the latest information from the Law Society and the Gazette based on your profile.

Our Find A Solicitor service already helps you promote your services to potential clients and peers. Over 38,000 people use the site each month. Registering with ‘My Law Society’ will give you the ability to add more detail to your Find a Solicitor profile to help you differentiate your services.

This is just the beginning. We are committed to representing, promoting and supporting solicitors and achieving our vision. If you require further updates about our services or for help about your practice, please call 020 7242 1222.