Save the date for our online conference
Our online conference for Local Law Societies will be taking place Thursday 25 September from 2-6pm via MS Teams. An invitation will be circulated early next week, so please do keep an eye out for this and share with your committees and sub-committees. There are no limitations on how many from your Society can attend, but all wishing to attend will need to register via the MS Form that will be enclosed.
SRA consultation on first-tier complaints rules
The SRA is consulting on proposed changes to its rules regarding first-tier complaints handling, and asking for input on their guidance to help the firms and individuals they regulate to meet these updates requirements. The consultation is open until 1 August 2025 and seeks views on how firms can improve how they define, handle, and report on complaints.
The Law Society are putting together a response to this consultation and hope to be in a position to share this with Local Law Societies the week commencing 21 July, for your consideration, should you be planning on submitting your own responses.
Judicial pathway workshops for Black, Asian and ethnic minority solicitors
In 2025, the Law Society is offering a series of free virtual workshops aimed at Black, Asian and ethnic minority solicitors with at least seven years’ PQE who are considering a career in the judiciary.
Led by sitting judges, the sessions focus on building confidence, understanding the judicial appointments process, and sharing personal experiences from the bench. Participation requires attendance at both workshops and completion of preparatory work. Applications close 31 July 2025 and more information is available here: Becoming a judge – free workshops for Black, Asian and ethnic minority lawyers | The Law Society
‘Save our Legal Aid – Share your story’ campaign
The Law Society is calling on government to invest in and save legal aid. We’re looking for real life stories to help deepen people’s understanding of the importance of investing in legal aid and the impact it has on our lives.
We are looking for people in England and Wales who are over 18 years old and have experience of trying to access legal aid for help with legal costs in the following areas, which are the focus of our campaign:
- Families navigating separation or crisis
- People detained in hospital under mental health laws
- Disabled people who reply on access to social care and NHS services
- Bereaved families fighting for answers at inquest
Please consider sharing our form: Save Our Legal Aid – Share your story | The Law Society with any relevant parties. On the form you will see there is more information about how stories are shared, anonymity and data.
Legal Aid Agency
In May 2025, the LAA confirmed it had been the target of a cyber-attack that resulted in a major data breach. The incident forced the LAA to take its digital services offline and triggered contingency measures for legal aid providers.
Since then, we’ve been urging swift action from the LAA to restore services and minimise the fallout for solicitors and their clients. Our president, Richard Atkinson, leads this engagement which includes regular meetings with LAA chief executive Jane Harbottle and her officials. We’re also making strong representations to Ministry of Justice ministers, MPs and the media about the serious ongoing impacts of the shutdown.
To find out more about how we are advocating for our members on our website:
- Revised contingency arrangements – key changes took effect from 27 June
- NEW: 10 steps to get the justice system back online
- Guidance on adjournments
- What we’ve been doing
- If you’re a legal aid provider, explore the LAA’s official page on the cyber-attack for the latest operational guidance.
We want to hear how the disruption is affecting frontline solicitors and their clients. This information helps us to focus on the right issues and ensure your concerns are raised at the highest level. Please also consider sharing the impact this has had re time spent, costs (specific and incurred) and inconvenience– share your experiences with us.
Beth
Please note my core working hours are 08:30 – 17:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 09:00-12:00 on Wednesday.
 | Beth Quinn (she/her) Member Engagement Manager T: 020 8049 3755 | W: www.lawsociety.org.uk |
