On 20 August 2025, the Law Society of Northern Ireland announced plans to introduce new qualification routes for solicitors, following a consultation held between December 2024 and March 2025. The initiative aims to make the profession more accessible, inclusive, and adaptable to evolving societal and professional needs. The consultation examined nine potential options for reform,…
Solicitors Regulation Authority in United Kingdom awards £360,000 for disadvantaged candidates to take the solicitors qualifying examination
On 6 August 2025, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced the award of £360,000 to 11 organisations to support aspiring solicitors from disadvantaged backgrounds with the cost of sitting the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The funding, drawn from the SQE Access and Reinvestment Fund—financed through performance-based payments from Kaplan, the SQE provider—marks the fund’s first…
Survey on improving accessibility in British Columbia’s legal profession
The Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) has launched a survey to better understand the challenges faced by legal professionals with disabilities and to identify ways to improve accessibility and inclusion within the province’s legal profession. The initiative seeks input not only from those with lived experience but also from friends, family, and colleagues who…
Victorian supervisors’ experiences of supervising early career lawyers
In 2024, the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner (VLSB+C) surveyed 409 lawyers who had supervised early career lawyers within the last five years to understand their experiences of supervised legal practice (SLP). Most respondents were experienced practitioners — 73% had over 10 years’ post-admission experience — and had, on average, supervised six lawyers over…
What is on the journey to practice and what drives them?
A joint study by US non-profit organisations, the Pennsylvania-based Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and Illinois’ Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP), profiles the backgrounds, motivations, and career aspirations of today’s law students. The findings reveal that the 2024 first-year cohort is the most diverse yet, with 41.8% from racial or ethnic minority…
Ireland’s Legal Services Regulatory Authority publishes annual pathways report on admissions to legal professions 2024
The Legal Services Regulatory Authority of Ireland (LSRA) has published its Pathways to the Professions 2024 report in July 2025, detailing admissions to the solicitor and barrister professions and trends in training and practice. The report shows a slight decline in new entrants but continued growth in overall numbers, with 12,175 practising solicitors and 3,071…
New European money laundering authority anti money laundering authority launched on 1 July
The new European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) officially commenced operations on 1 July 2025, marking a significant step in strengthening the EU’s fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, AMLA was created under the EU Anti-Money Laundering Package, adopted in 2021 and in force since 9 July 2024. AMLA’s core…
The statistical reporting system for German lawyers: new study on the state of the legal profession
The latest round of data collection on the legal profession in Germany has recently been launched. The Statistical Reporting System for Lawyers (STAR), commissioned by the Federal Bar Association and conducted by the Institute for Freelance Professions at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg since 1993, is inviting participation in its latest survey on the professional and…
Report shows small firms keen to adopt technology but barriers still exist
On 19 June, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published new research revealing that while sole practitioners and small law firms in England and Wales are eager to adopt new technology, significant barriers continue to hinder uptake. A survey, conducted by Thinks Insight & Strategy, involved around 150 solicitors and eight technology providers through interviews,…
Artificial Intelligence action plan for justice
On 31 July, the UK Ministry of Justice published an AI Action Plan for Justice – a landmark strategy to integrate artificial intelligence across the justice system in England and Wales. The plan is designed to deliver “faster, fairer and more accessible justice” while maintaining public trust, protecting human rights, and preserving judicial independence. The…