The Law Society of England and Wales (officially The Law Society) is the

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

that represents

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

s for the jurisdiction of

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors, as well as serving as a sounding board for

law reform Law reform or legal reform is the process of examining existing laws, and advocating and implementing change in a legal system, usually with the aim of enhancing justice or efficiency. Intimately related are law reform bodies or Law Commission, ...

. Members of the Society are often consulted when important issues are being debated in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

or by the executive. The Society was formed in 1825. The Hall of The Law Society is in

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street that forms part of the City of London#Boundary, western boundary of the City of London. The east side of the street is entirely within the City,Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

to deal with the Wales jurisdiction and the

Senedd The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

. A president is elected annually to serve for one year. The current president is Richard Atkinson. The Law Society has nothing to do with

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

s in England and Wales. The relevant professional body for barristers is the

General Council of the Bar The General Council of the Bar, commonly known as the Bar Council, is the representative body for barristers in England and Wales. Established in 1894, the Bar Council is the "approved regulator" of barristers, but delegates its regulatory functi ...

History

The London Law Institution, the predecessor to the Law Society, was founded in 1823 when many London Solicitors came together to raise the reputation of the profession by setting standards and ensuring good practice. 'London' was dropped from the title in 1825 to reflect the fact that the Law Institution had national aspirations. The Society was founded on 2 June 1825, when a committee of management was appointed. The Society acquired its first

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

in 1831 as The Society of Attorneys, Solicitors, Proctors and others not being Barristers, practising in the Courts of Law and Equity of the United Kingdom. A new Charter in 1845 defined the Society as an independent, private body servicing the affairs of the profession like other professional, literary and scientific bodies. By further Royal Charter in 1903 the name of the Society was changed to simply "The Law Society". The Society first admitted women members in 1922.Law Society Website History Section
In 1949, the Law Society was given the responsibility of

legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right ...

by the

Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 The Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 ( 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 51) was a British act of Parliament which extended the welfare state so that those unable to pay for a solicitor were able to access free legal help. It set up the first ever state funde ...

. The function was passed to the Legal Aid Board by Legal Aid Act 1988. In July 2013, the Association of Women Solicitors (AWS), a national organisation working with and representing women solicitors in the United Kingdom, merged with the Law Society to form its Women Lawyers Division. Although merged, the AWS will operate separately from the Law Society.

Discipline

In 1834, the Society first initiated proceedings against dishonest practitioners. By 1907, the Society possessed a statutory disciplinary committee and was empowered to investigate solicitors' accounts and to issue annual practising certificates. In 1983, the Society established the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors to deal with complaints about solicitors. Complaints regarding the conduct of solicitors are now dealt with by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). However, complaints regarding poor service are the remit of the Legal Ombudsman.

Legal education

The Solicitors Act 1860 enabled the Society to create a three-tier examination system. In 1903, the Society established its own Law Society School of Law, which later merged with tutorial firm Gibson and Weldon to become the independent College of Law. By 1922 The Law Society required a compulsory academic year for all clerks.

Regulatory body status

Following the recommendations of th
Clementi Review
The Law Society split its representative and regulatory functions. Complaints from the public are handled by the Legal Ombudsman which is a single portal for complaints by the public made against all providers of legal services including the Bar,

licensed conveyancer A licensed conveyancer is a specialist legal professional in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia or South Africa who has been trained to deal with all aspects of property law. Typically, their tasks might include: # Taking instructions fro ...

s etc., but excluding unqualified will-writers. The regulatory body for solicitors is the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It is a Board of The Law Society although it regulates and enforces regulation completely independently of the Law Society. The Law Society remains the approved regulator, although following the

Legal Services Act 2007 The Legal Services Act 2007 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that seeks to liberalise and regulate the market for legal services in England and Wales, to encourage more competition and to provide a new route for consumer compl ...

a new body, the Legal Services Board (currently chaired by Dr Helen Phillips) oversees all the approved regulators including the Bar Council, which has also divested its regulatory functions into the

Bar Standards Board The Bar Standards Board regulates barristers in England and Wales for the public interest. It is responsible for: * Setting standards of conduct for barristers and authorising barristers to practise; * Monitoring the service provided by barr ...

. The Law Society of England and Wales is a

Designated Professional Body According to the UK Financial Conduct Authority The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is a financial regulatory body in the United Kingdom. It operates independently of the UK Government and is financed by charging fees to members of the fin ...

under the Financial Services & Markets Act 2000.

The Hall of The Law Society

Located at 113

Chancery Lane Chancery Lane is a one-way street that forms part of the City of London#Boundary, western boundary of the City of London. The east side of the street is entirely within the City,Lewis Vulliamy Lewis Vulliamy (15 March 1791 – 4 January 1871) was an English architect descended from the Vulliamy family of clockmakers. Life Lewis Vulliamy was the son of the clockmaker Benjamin Vulliamy. He was born in Pall Mall, London on 15 March 17 ...

. An extension in 1902-04 was designed by

Charles Holden Charles Henry Holden (12 May 1875 – 1 May 1960) was an English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadwa ...

. In addition to offices for its staff, the building is used for Law Society conferences and events and parts of the building are available on a private hire basis for events.

Past presidents

Source
"Past Presidents"
The Law Society of England and Wales. Retrieved 8 June 2025. Law Society arms

Chairman

Before 1845, the head of the Society's committee was called the Chairman. Source
"Past Presidents"
The Law Society of England and Wales. Retrieved 8 June 2025. * 1844 Edward Foss * 1843 Edward Foss * 1842 Edward Archer Wilde * 1841 Thomas Metcalfe * 1840 John Teesdale * 1839 Iltid Nicholl * 1838 Thomas Adlington * 1837 William Tooke, MP * 1836 George Frere * 1835 George Frere * 1835 James William Freshfield, MP * 1834 Bryan Holme * 1834 William Lowe * 1833 Richard White

Standard Conditions of Sale

The "Standard Conditions of Sale" are issued by the Law Society to provide a standard set of rules and expectations for the sale and purchase of

residential property A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family resident ...

in England and Wales. As a contractual instrument they are intended "to create legal rights and legal obligations" on the part of both parties to a transaction.Law Society
Standard Conditions of Sale (5th edition – 2018 revision)
accessed 20 January 2021 The fifth (current) edition was initially published in 2011, and was revised in 2018. The majority of residential property sales are subject to these conditions.DGPS Partnership LLP
Standard Conditions Of Sale (5th Edition) Guide
accessed 21 January 2021

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Law Society 1825 establishments in the United Kingdom Law societies Legal organisations based in London Lewis Vulliamy buildings Organisations based in the City of Westminster Organizations established in 1825 Legal regulators of the United Kingdom Legal organisations based in Wales