The Law Society Annual Statistics Report (ASR) has been compiled for over 30 years and provides a comprehensive picture of how the size and structure of the solicitors’ profession has evolved.
The ASR has tended to focus on private practice, which continues to employ most practising solicitors. However, in-house solicitors now make up almost one-quarter of the profession.
This year’s report expands on visually representing the distribution of practising certificate (PC) holders by:
- gender
- ethnicity
- region
- sector
Part one of the report looks at qualified solicitors, the sectors and the entities in which they work and analyses the diversity within the profession.
Part two covers the development and entry of new solicitors including numbers pursuing law degrees, training contracts and being admitted to the profession through various routes.
Key findings
Key findings from this year’s report (with a focus on gender) show that:
- In the 12 months to 31 July 2019, the number of solicitors with practising certificates (PC holders) reached 146,953 – the highest recorded so far
- There were 195,821 individuals on the Roll of solicitors in total, with year on year growth slowing to 3.7%
- For the third year running, female PC holders outnumbered male PC holders this year, by over 4,500. This gap has increased by more than 2,300 from the year before.
- Women made up close to two-thirds of new trainees, and 30% of all traineeships were in the City of London.
- The average age of male and female PC holders has decreased compared to those in 2018 (by 1.0 and 0.9 respectively). The median ages of male PCs has remained the same at 46 whilst for female PCs it has decreased to 39. Female solicitors remain younger on average and by median than male counterparts by more than a five year age difference.
- The position of a Partner or Partner equivalent (members, directors, shareholders), including salaried partners, is the highest proportion of positions held by male PCs at 40.2% (compared to 18.5% for women). For female PCs, the largest proportion is held by Associate Solicitors at 31.4%.
You can download a copy of the report here.