Learn more about our Council

As your professional body, we support, represent and advocate for solicitors, and one of the main ways we do this is through our elected Council.

Our Council, made up of 97 solicitors, includes 46 representing geographic constituencies and 51 representing work practice or demographic constituencies.

They’re the Law Society’s main oversight body, and help govern our organisation, including supporting proposals at our annual general meeting (AGM).

Their role is to make sure the views of solicitors from all corners of the profession in England and Wales are heard as we’re making decisions about our priorities for the years ahead, and how we’ll deliver guidance, resources and support to help solicitors to thrive.

Explore more about the role our Council plays and how you can stand for election in the future.

Reflecting the profession we serve

It’s important that our Council reflects the demographics of solicitors across England and Wales, which is why we’ve been working to understand whether the diversity of our Council members is in line with that of the profession.

We undertook a survey to understand the make-up of Council, and the results were positive, showing that the solicitors who sit on Council have roughly the same demographic make-up as the profession as a whole.

Woman are the majority

The society we serve has evolved and diversified since we were founded 200 years ago.

It’s been 104 years since women were first able to become solicitors in England and Wales, and during this time we’ve seen significant progress in gender equality in the sector.

Now, female solicitors make up 53% of practising solicitors. Our Council reflect this, with female solicitors making up 52% of those on Council.

Ethnicity

We believe that innovation flourishes when people are welcomed, encouraged and supported to contribute their unique perspectives.

This is also true for our Council, which is why it’s positive to see that 27% of Council members are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background, compared to 19% of practising solicitors overall.

Disability

31% of Council members shared they had a disability, compared to 9% of practising solicitors.

Sexual orientation

We saw a similar picture for gay/lesbian or bi Council members, who make up 6% of Council as compared to 3% of practising solicitors.

Social mobility

We’re promoting social mobility and supporting the profession to take the action needed to accelerate change.

We’re working hard to make sure solicitors from all backgrounds have the opportunity to sit on our Council, which is why it’s encouraging to see that 73% of Council members attended state-run or state-funded schools – compared to 67% of solicitors overall.