In conversation with Mr Justice Gerard Hogan at a Centre for Justice and Law Reform / ARINS event on the Irish constitution

The strategic focus of the Law Society is to shape a fair and just legal system that serves everyone in Ireland. We aim to do that by enabling solicitors to provide the highest quality legal services as well as providing solicitors with all the support they require to develop their practice and their career. The Law Society also has the ambition to lead analysis, research and new thinking on justice, law reform, and legal practice. The organisation represents, educates, supports, and regulates the solicitors’ profession.

As we closed out 2025 with clear momentum in building an influential voice looking to shape the country’s legal system, during the year, we filed dozens of policy submissions, launching a dedicated law-reform think-tank, and influenced changes in everything from enduring-power-of-attorney (EPA) rules to conveyancing red tape.

Reviewing our activities during 2025, we submitted 25 separate policy papers to Government departments, statutory bodies, NGOs and other stakeholders – part of a stated ambition to lead analysis, research and new thinking on justice, law reform, and legal practice.

These submissions addressed a broad range of policy areas, including taxation, reform of civil procedure, legal aid (civil and criminal), caps on costs (in the District Court and judicial review), criminal law, conveyancing, assisted decision-making and EPA, adult safeguarding, and immigration.

Perhaps the most far-reaching of these was the Law Society’s pre-budget submission, lodged with Government in September. It contained 41 recommendations, including a proposal for an additional €40-million investment to be pumped into the justice system – a sum the Law Society argues is needed simply to keep pace with the demand on courts, legal aid, and support services.

Behind the submissions lies a year of sustained lobbying. Our Policy Department engaged repeatedly with members of the Oireachtas, public bodies, NGOs, and international organisations in an effort to advance our ‘Agenda for Justice’ – the reforms we wish to see enacted.

Joining the Criminal Law Committee to meet with the Department of Justice on changes to Criminal Legal Aid

Shaping law reform

The most significant statement of our strategic ambition came early in the year, with the establishment of the Centre for Justice and Law Reform – a new research unit tasked with improving the justice system and shaping law reform in the public interest.

Its first major output was the Justice Indicators research paper – a comparative study drawing on more than 100 national and international sources to assess how the Irish justice system is performing across four areas: public trust, policing, the courts, and prisons. The paper is intended to give policymakers and campaigners an evidence base for arguing where reform is most urgently needed.

The centre also moved quickly to build a public profile, hosting its inaugural Summer School in June under the banner ‘Defending democracy: legal responses to emerging threats’. The event brought together leading national and international experts to examine contemporary challenges facing democratic institutions and the rule of law. Speakers included EU Commissioner Michael McGrath, former CIA director John Brennan, the UK’s Commissioner for Countering Extremism Robin Simcox, Attorney General Rossa Fanning SC, Justice Marie Baker, and a range of other distinguished legal, policy, and public-affairs leaders.

The centre capped its debut year by launching a new ‘Medal of Excellence’, which will honour outstanding contributions to justice, fundamental rights, democratic governance, and the rule of law. Its first recipient was President Michael D Higgins, recognised for his long record of commitment to social justice, equality, human rights, and democratic values – a fitting bookend to a presidency that embraced those very themes.

Elsewhere, the Law Society’s Policy Department kept up pressure on the insurance industry over legal costs, publishing research showing that legal fees make up only a small fraction of overall premiums in areas such as motor insurance and employers’ liability cover – directly rebutting claims from some insurers that legal costs are driving up what motorists and businesses pay.

Wins in Government policy

The Law Society’s lobbying paid dividends when the Programme for Government was published in early 2025, containing several of our key proposals, including: a commitment to invest in the courts, safeguarding access to community-based legal services, and the strengthening of family justice. The Law Society was also referenced directly in relation to reform of the State’s Decision Support Service (DSS), including a specific commitment to work with the Law Society to create a solicitor’s portal to simplify EPA applications. Having issued strong media statements and raised concerns with Government and the DSS at the lack of clarity about how to make an emergency EPA, new guidance on this matter was issued by the DSS in November – proof of the value of consistent engagement and relationship-building with Government.

Our participation on the Housing for All Implementation Group helped to progress six Law Society policy proposals on conveyancing reform. The Law Society continues to meet stakeholders regarding various other matters, aimed at reducing conveyancing delays, including planning reform, digitising processes, statements of truth, and roads and services in housing developments. 

On the communications front, the Law Society launched a new newsletter, Justice Matters, to provide Oireachtas members with details on the major issues affecting the justice system and their constituents. 

It also struck two content partnerships with titles under The Irish Times Group – RIP.ie and MyHome.ie – as a way of showcasing the profession’s expertise directly to the public. Solicitors contributed seven articles on wills and probate to RIP.ie, a site that receives more than 150,000 visits a day. A further 12 articles and a new six-part podcast series were produced for MyHome.ie to help people navigate the process of selling a home.

Widening the path into the profession

Access to the solicitors’ profession remains a live concern and the Law Society used 2025 to keep pushing the message that a legal career is open to everyone, regardless of background, location or financial means. It secured coverage on RTÉ News for its ‘Solicitors of the Future’ initiative; on Ireland AM for the PPC Hybrid course; and in the Irish Independent for its ‘Access Scholarship’ scheme.

Our Justice Media Awards – the country’s longest-running media accolades – broke entry records again in 2025, attracting 674 entries across 16 categories – up 36% on the previous year.

On the practical side of supporting working solicitors, the Law Society reported a 50% rise in traffic through its ‘one-point-of-contact’ Solicitor Services Mailbox, a channel it uses to track practitioner queries and feedback. More than 6,050 emails were answered over the year, with 4,220 queries fully resolved.

October saw the launch of ‘Small Practice Month’ – a programme of events, activities and specialist publications dedicated to solicitors working in smaller firms, who often face different pressures to those in large practices. More than 4,000 solicitors took part in these live events, with total participation reaching over 6,300.

The same month brought the launch of a new In-house General Counsel Summit Series, which drew more than 500 registrations, while 3,300 in-house solicitors began receiving a new digital magazine, In the House, tailored specifically to their work.

Other highlights included:

• The launch of Psychological Safety Toolkits designed to help legal workplaces build the kind of environment associated with high performance,
• The Well Within the Law Festival under the theme, ‘This is Absurd!’, drawing around 300 solicitors into a lively discussion on the more surreal aspects of legal working life,
• 570 trainees participated in ‘The Complete Lawyer’ programme, which included a new module on trauma-informed practice; and a new micro-credential on Foundations of Trauma-Informed Practice, which launched in October,
• 226 of full-time and hybrid trainees (2024/2025) availed of the Law School Counselling Service – representing 46% of PPC, and 17% of Hybrid trainees,
• ‘Well Within the Law – Away Days’ launched in September 2025, offering tailored one-day programmes to solicitors, starting with small and rural practitioners, and women in law,
• A record number of 1,600 solicitors took part in the Law Society Skillnet Wellbeing Summit, which explored themes of rural isolation, access to justice, legal deserts, and the challenges facing smaller practices.

Educational excellence

The Education Department continued to support the development of the solicitors’ profession through professional training, access initiatives, legal education, and technology-focused learning. From January 2025 to March 2026, 1,214 individuals were admitted to the Roll of Solicitors, with women accounting for over 60% of admissions.

Demand for legal education remained strong, with 2,000 students taking each of the three sittings of the FE-1 examinations between January 2025 and March 2026 – that number will rise to 2,460 in October 2026. Of the FE-1 examinations between January 2025 and March 2026, a total of 682 trainees enrolled in the Professional Practice Courses (PPC) during the period, including 205 trainees undertaking the PPC Hybrid programme.

The PPC Hybrid continues to increase access to legal education and support greater diversity within the profession. Of those enrolled on the hybrid course, 60% were based outside Dublin, 35% were aged 30 or older, and 73% were female. The flexibility of the hybrid model continues to support those who may otherwise face barriers to entering the profession due to personal, financial, or geographic circumstances.

Advancing knowledge

The Law Society’s Diploma Centre ran 43 courses for more than 9,200 students during the year. The Diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance received the Aviation Academic Education Award at the Aviation Industry Awards 2025 – a nod to Ireland’s significant role in global aircraft leasing. Separately, Law Society Professional Training and Skillnet offered 203 courses with 30,334 attendances, including ten regional cluster events reaching 1,321 solicitors around the country.

Fewer themes dominated the education calendar quite like artificial intelligence. The Law Society ran 23 AI-focused courses for 8,700 participants, spanning webinars, hands-on workshops, and a new AI micro-credential. The 2025 Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on AI attracted 7,100 participants from 92 countries, making it the largest MOOC delivered by the Law Society since initiation in 2014. To date, more than 41,200 participants from 119 countries have taken part.

AI education is now embedded within the PPC curriculum, with trainee solicitors completing compulsory AI training, alongside practical sessions focused on legal practice in the future. The Education Department also took part in a number of high-level AI initiatives, including grant-funded research into AI adoption among Irish solicitors, collaboration on EU legal AI-training projects, and a research partnership with Trinity College Dublin exploring the use of AI in teaching and learning.

Practice support and access

The Law Society’s library and information service remained a highly popular resource, fielding 7,093 queries across 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 – 6,247 of them from solicitors and 764 from PPC trainees and Diploma Centre students. Staff supplied 663 legal precedents, processed 3,318 book loans, and expanded digital access through Thomson Reuters’ ProView and e-book resources. Subject guides provided practical support across a range of legal topics, attracting over 21,000 views during the reporting period.

The Law Society continued to support wider access to the profession through scholarships, grants, outreach programmes, and student engagement initiatives. Access schemes continued to grow. The Access Scholarship Scheme now supports 212 participants – 126 receiving financial help through the FE-1 exams and 86 at PPC level, with 26 scholarship holders starting PPC courses in 2025.

The Small Practice Traineeship Grant Scheme, which helps smaller and rural firms shoulder the cost of employing trainees, awarded six new grants in 2025, bringing its total since launch to 32 – a targeted intervention aimed at keeping legal services viable in areas that might otherwise struggle to retain solicitors.

Outreach to schools also expanded, with more than 7,000 transition-year students taking the Law Society’s free online law course between January and April 2026, while 40 students completed the immersive ‘Solicitors of the Future’ programme during the February mid-term break.

Promoting effective regulation

The Law Society protects and supports the public interest and the solicitors’ profession by ensuring effective regulation. Its role as a regulator is understood and valued as central to sustaining trust in the profession and contributing to the Irish legal system, economy, and wider society.

The regulatory framework includes financial and practice regulation, an anti-money-laundering business unit, regulatory legal services, and the Regulation of Practice Committee (ROPC).

Regarding financial regulation, 332 annual inspections were completed, 2,195 reporting accountants’ reports were examined and processed, while 890 items were considered by the ROPC.

An updated practising certificate (PC) renewal process, including a new payment system that rolled out from December 2025, saw a 98% uptake of the new payment method – an initiative that went on to win ‘Finance Project of the Year’ at the Irish Accountancy Awards.

The PII premium pool for the 2025/2026 indemnity period reduced by a further 6%. This represents a cumulative reduction of 35% over the last four years, placing the current premium pool at its lowest level since 2018/2019. The profession continues to benefit from affordable premium levels, strong insurer involvement, and healthy market competition, while public protection remains at a high standard.

On the disciplinary side, 25 regulatory applications and appeals went before the Circuit Court, High Court and Supreme Court, with two more before the Court of Appeal. Six inquiries were heard by the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal and a further 12 concluded before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. The Compensation Fund, which protects clients in cases of solicitor wrongdoing, made 95 claim payments totalling €1.5 million.

More than 325 anti-money-laundering (AML) inspections of firms were also completed. Of these, 33% were fully compliant, 20% were largely compliant, 45% were partially compliant, and 2% were non-compliant. During this period,13 AML-related outreach and CPD initiatives were delivered, with a total attendance of 2,540 participants.

In our efforts to continue supporting solicitors with managing their regulatory requirements, we have piloted regulatory support clinics via our CPD cluster events, and have expanded the opening hours of our free helpline for solicitors, which received 279 queries for 2025. During the same period, regulation personnel delivered talks at over 50 outreach events, including webinars, CPD Skillnet clusters, bar associations, and various accounting regulators and lending institutions.

Enhancing practice

As part of the Law Society’s commitment to enabling solicitors to thrive, significant progress was made in 2025 on developing the eConveyancing Platform, which has continued into 2026. Following Council approval in January 2025, Phases 1 and 2 delivered a secure prototype supported by usability testing, stakeholder engagement, and demonstrations to over 300 practitioners.

The redesigned Law Society website went live in late 2025, aimed at improving accessibility, navigation, and search functionality, with a refreshed, user-friendly design. A programme to rationalise legacy content and strengthen governance was also implemented, aligning with the Solicitor Services Portal.

Campus development

At its historic Blackhall Place headquarters, significant progress was made in 2025 on the Green Hall extension project, which will expand the Law Society’s education facilities. A full planning application was submitted in October 2025 following a detailed design and consultation process.

Elsewhere on campus, refurbishment works included renovation of the Council Chamber, finance and other office spaces, as well as enhancements to the solicitors’ lounge and the Four Courts consultation rooms.

Future-focused

Taken together, 2025 implemented the second stage of the Law Society’s 2024-2028 organisational strategy. We are continuing to develop our strategies and build the tools that are enabling the profession to navigate current and future challenges, including rapid technological change, mounting pressure on the justice system, and attacks on the rule of law.

The Law Society is a key supporter and enabler of professional success, ensuring that solicitors and legal practices across the country are functioning at the highest level and are supported in every community across Ireland.

Mark Garrett

Director General