Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act came into force on 1 January 2005. It is intended to promote a culture of openness among public authorities and to give people the right to access much of the information they hold.

For more information, see the Information Commissioner’s website.

The Act does not yet apply to the Law Society, but we believe in being open about what we do and we make a lot of information publicly available through our website.

Code of practice

The Code explains:

  • how we follow the Act
  • how we handle requests for information
  • how you can get information from us
  • what sort of information we may be unable to let you have

It applies to all information we currently hold, whenever it came into existence, and whether it is kept on paper or stored electronically.

It applies equally to our regulatory and representative roles. See What we do

Freedom of information code of practice (PDF 62KB)

Publication scheme

This scheme tells you what information we hold that is publicly available. It follows the model used by government agencies in the United Kingdom, and gives details of:

  • the type of information we publish or intend to publish
  • how we make the information available
  • whether we charge a fee for the information

Publication scheme (PDF 292KB)

Requests for information

Freedom of information requests and comments on the Society’s code of practice should be sent to:

Information Compliance Manager, The Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL. DX 56 Lon/Ch Lane. 020 7320 5662. E-mail our Information Compliance Manager.

Adjudications