Our policy advisory committees

Access to Justice Committee

This committee:

• reviews and advises on policy formulation and negotiations with the Legal Aid Agency, the Ministry of Justice and wider government to promote improvements in the availability and operation of legal aid and in access to justice
• provides support to practitioners providing, or hoping to provide, publicly funded work through guidance, lobbying and practice notes
• considers and promotes alternative methods of access to justice in conjunction with other relevant committees

Who to contact

Governance officer: Nada Ghanem
Policy adviser: Simon Cliff
Head of justice: Richard Miller
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Children Law Subcommittee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in areas relating to the practice and procedure of public law Children Act proceedings and adoption
• considers any special aspects of private law children issues referred to them by the Family Law Committee

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Farhana Begum
Policy adviser: Sarah Richardson
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Civil Justice Committee

The role of this committee is:

• to keep under review, and to promote improvements in civil litigation, including dispute resolution and costs
• to provide guidance to the profession

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Nada Ghanem
Policy adviser: Kate Fox
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Company Law Committee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in the law, practice and procedure applying to companies and businesses regardless of form, insolvency and financial services, including investment vehicles
• considers and responds to government, European and other regulatory initiatives, proposals, legislation and guidance affecting these areas, and to support and promote the role of solicitors in these fields

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Carole Tyrrell
Policy adviser: Nick Denys
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Conveyancing and Land Law Committee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in all branches of land law, conveyancing procedure and practice and related matters, with a focus on both commercial and residential property
• responds to consultation documents from, and engages with, outside bodies including the government, Law Commission, HM Land Registry, RICS, UK Finance and the Building Societies Association
• helps the profession to adapt to anticipated changes in the conveyancing market including connected regulatory changes
• promotes solicitors as the leading providers of quality conveyancing services. including helping the Law Society develop conveyancing products or services
• provides practical help and expert technical guidance to the profession through the production of practice notes, articles and other communications
• provides both a free pool of specialist expertise and a representative sounding board

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Fiyin Oyedele
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Criminal Law Committee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in criminal law, practice and procedure
• considers matters referred by other committees, working parties and task forces

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Farhana Begum
Policy adviser: Janet Arkinstall
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Education and Training Committee

This committee:

• sets and oversees the implementation of policy for the promotion of solicitors' interests in regulatory matters relating to education and training
• assists the Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee in carrying out its function in relation to education and training matters.

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Richard Lorkin
Policy adviser: Nicole Poole
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Employment Law Committee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in employment law and practice
• supports members of the profession undertaking work in employment law
• promotes the role of solicitors practicing in employment law

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Carole Tyrrell
Policy adviser: Nick Denys
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

European Union Committee

This committee:

• ensures we respond to relevant EU proposals and communications
• assists us in our lobbying activity in the EU institutions

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Jemma Lockhart
Policy adviser: Georgina Berriman
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Family Law Committee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in family law, practice and procedure, including child care law and procedure
• reviews and advises on the role, design and operation of any relevant accreditation schemes

Who to contact

Governance officer: Farhana Begum
Policy adviser: Sarah Richardson
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Housing Law Committee

This committee:

• monitors and promotes improvements in the practice and procedure of courts and tribunals relating to housing cases
• promotes and develops legal services and awareness of legal issues in the housing field
• engages in issues relating to the sustainability of housing law practice, including legal aid and fixed recoverable costs

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Nada Ghanem
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Human Rights Committee

This committee upholds human rights and the rule of law both domestically and internationally, particularly in relation to lawyers, their professional activities and the upholding of human rights standards.

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Bunty Kerray
Policy adviser: Hazel Blake
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Immigration Law Committee

This committee reviews and promotes improvements in immigration and asylum law, practice and procedure.

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Bunty Kerray
Policy adviser: Sinead Nowak
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Intellectual Property Law Committee

This committee reports on intellectual property matters only where doing so addresses any one or more of these objectives:

• influencing law reform to achieve a better system of justice
• supporting solicitors to help them achieve the standards expected of them, and deliver good service
• regulating and setting standards for solicitors to make sure they deliver a good and ethical service to consumers
• representing the interests of solicitors as a whole

The committee considers the objectives listed above to cover reports on:

• the clarity, accessibility and workability of intellectual property legislation and practices
• the ability of proposed intellectual property legislation or practices to achieve their stated purpose
• matters concerning intellectual property awareness among private individuals and companies and within public bodies

The committee will consider the following factors in deciding whether to report on an issue, and in framing that report:

• the extent to which the issue raises questions that fall within the committee objectives
• the need for expert intellectual property input on the issue
• the extent of resources available to the committee
• the timeliness of the request
• the likely impact of a report from the committee

It will not report on intellectual property matters to advance any particular factional interests over any other factional interest.

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Fiyin Oyedele
Policy adviser: William McSweeney
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

International Issues Committee

This committee:

• promotes the international reputation and interests of solicitors and the Law Society both at home and abroad
• supports the international department to promote the rule of law in its work on the development of independent legal professions and access to justice worldwide
• advises on the implications for the profession of international developments, particularly within international associations and professional and governmental bodies
• raises awareness in the profession of the increasing importance of international work to the legal sector and the benefits to be derived from it
• makes recommendations to the office holders, boards and the Council on the representation of the Law Society at international events and on international bodies

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Jemma Lockhart
Policy adviser: Mickael Laurans
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Mental Health and Disability Law Committee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in law, practice and procedure affecting disabled people, including those who have mental health needs, and people who are in vulnerable circumstances, which ensures their rights and equality of treatment under the law

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Bunty Kerray
Policy adviser: David Stephenson
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Money Laundering Task Force

This committee advises on all matters relating to anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions including:

• guidance to solicitors about their professional and legal duties
• the approach that the Law Society should take in responding to proposals for legislative change and in promoting changes to legislation
• the appropriate response to AML and sanctions-related consultations

In carrying out these functions, the task force is guided by:

• the application of the rule of law
• the principles of proportionality and necessity in good law-making
• the public interest in securing effective AML and sanctions regimes

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Richard Lorkin
Policy manager: Rick Kent
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Planning and Environmental Law Committee

This committee:

• reviews and promotes improvements in planning law, practice and procedure (including related areas of law such as listed buildings and conservation, highways, nature conservation, water resources, drainage and flood risk, compulsory purchase and compensation) and environmental law and procedure
• supports solicitors practising planning and environmental law
• promotes the value of solicitors in planning and environmental processes

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Fiyin Oyedele
Policy adviser: Alasdair Cameron
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Professional Indemnity Insurance Committee

This committee monitors and investigates issues around solicitors' indemnity insurance.

Under these terms of reference this committee provides advice on policy matters relating to:

• solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance
• other aspects of solicitors’ business insurance
• client financial protections, including the SRA Compensation Fund and the Solicitors Indemnity Fund

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Richard Lorkin
Policy adviser: Simon Thomson
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Professional Standards and Ethics Committee

This committee monitors and keeps under review the ethical values, professional principles and standards regulating and governing solicitors, their organisations and their areas of practice, and in particular:

• develops proposals for best practice and changes to professional principles and standards for submission to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and elsewhere
• responds to consultations on changes to professional principles and standards promoted by the SRA, the Legal Services Board (LSB) and other regulators
• provides support and advice on interpretation, management and best practice in relation to ethical values, professional principles and standards as appropriate
• reports to the Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee, and seeks approval from that committee for policy proposals and for major responses to consultations

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Richard Lorkin
Policy adviser: James Woolf
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Regulatory Processes Committee

This committee monitors the processes and procedures employed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) respectively in performance of their role in regulating solicitors and in particular:

• responds to consultations on processes and procedure from the SRA and other regulators
• develops proposals for changes to processes and procedure for submission to the SRA, SDT and elsewhere
• provides advice on proper processes, procedures and good practice in relevant areas as appropriate

The committee also monitors the systems in place for complaints about solicitors, and in particular:

• responds to consultations on complaints from the Legal Ombudsman
• develops proposals on changes to the complaints procedures, for submission to the Legal Ombudsman
• provides advice on proper processes, procedures and good practice in relevant areas as appropriate

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Richard Lorkin
Policy adviser: Anjali Mouelhi
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Tax Law Committee

This committee reviews and promotes improvements in tax law and procedure. It has a number of sub-groups:

• Capital Taxes Sub Committee
• Corporation Tax Sub Committee
• Income Tax Sub Committee
• International Tax Sub Committee
• Stamp Taxes Working Party
• VAT and Duties Sub Committee

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Carole Tyrrell
Policy adviser: Amani White
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Technology and Law Committee

This committee:

• provides advice and develops guidance that will assist the profession in adopting relevant new technologies and comply with IT-related professional obligations and regulatory requirements (including data protection and cybersecurity)
• seeks to shape developing policy initiatives including courts modernisation
• contributes to the Law Society becoming an influential voice in the legal, regulatory and ethical debates concerning the role of emerging new technologies including AI and machine-learning and their impact on the law and legal practice

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Fiyin Oyedele
Policy advisor: Janis Wong
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Wills and Equity Committee

This committee:

• advises the Law Society on matters relating to the reform of the law and the legislative process relating to wills, probate, financial and tax planning, trusts and estate administration and, insofar as it relates to such matters, the law relating to mental capacity and charities
• supports the development of up to date professional advice and guidance on such matters
• reviews and advises on the role, design and operation of relevant accreditation schemes
• liaises with the Law Society's Private Client Section

Who to contact:

Governance officer: Bunty Kerray
Policy adviser: David Stephenson
Contact: governance@lawsociety.org.uk

Join a specialist committee

Do you have a passion for supporting your profession?

Get involved with our Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee sub-committees.