The Law Society

What The Law Society does

The Law Society is the chartered professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, incorporated by Royal Charter (number RC000304) in 1825 and headquartered at 113 Chancery Lane, London, with a regional Wales Office. Its primary function is representational and regulatory support for the solicitor profession, delivered through a unified membership model complemented by training, publications, events, helplines, and an official public directory. Core products and services include Find a Solicitor (the official public-facing solicitor search database at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk), the Law Society Gazette (news publication at lawgazette.co.uk), Legal Jobs (jobs.lawgazette.co.uk), the Bookshop e-commerce store, the Law Society Library (a research and enquiry service), Training and Online Learning (learn.lawsociety.org.uk), Practice Notes and Guidance, Individual Accreditations across 16+ specialist areas, Events, Helplines (Practice Advice, Lawyerline, Pastoral Care), and eight professional Networks (Disabled, Ethnic, In-house, Junior, Large Firms, LGBTQ+, Small Firms, Women Solicitors Networks). The Society does not develop proprietary technology products; its technology infrastructure supports member service delivery and the public-facing directory, with the core focus being advocacy, professional development, and convening.

The business model centres on membership subscriptions as the primary recurring revenue stream, with solicitors required to maintain professional affiliation. Supplementary revenue is generated through paid training and online learning courses, Bookshop e-commerce sales, Gazette and Legal Jobs advertising, venue hire at the London headquarters (Six Clerks restaurant and bar), and Library research services. Pricing for membership is not publicly disclosed and is obtained on direct enquiry. The go-to-market motion is community-led, anchored on membership acquisition and retention through the lawsociety.org.uk digital platform, the Gazette, events, training programmes, eight professional networks, and active engagement in policy and public affairs with the UK government, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Bar Council, the Information Commissioner's Office, and academic institutions including the University of Manchester and UCL.

Strategically, the Society operates as the statutory representative voice of the solicitors' profession, advocating on access to justice, the rule of law, legal aid, and professional standards, while collaborating with regulators on supervision guidance, joint submissions to government consultations on AI, copyright, distributed ledger technology, ransomware, and court evidence reform. The Society's competitive position is anchored in its statutorily conferred representational role, its 200-year institutional brand, and an integrated portfolio of services that creates switching costs for members across the profession's full career lifecycle.

Name

The Law Society

Legal name

Law Society of England & Wales

Website

https://lawsociety.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1825

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Law Society is the chartered professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, incorporated by Royal Charter in 1825. It serves members with representation, training, accreditation, publications, events, helplines, the Find a Solicitor public directory, and the Law Society Gazette, operating from London and Cardiff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Law & Legal Studies Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Professional membership body
• Solicitor representation services
• Legal practice guidance
• Continuing professional development
• Professional accreditation services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: The Law Society generates revenue primarily through solicitor membership fees. Solicitors pay membership fees to join and maintain their affiliation with the professional body.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Law Society is the statutory professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, delivering membership-based services to the solicitor profession. It sells individual accreditations, paid training courses, publications via its bookshop, event attendance, and advertising/recruitment through the Gazette and Legal Jobs board, while providing free practice guidance, helplines, and the public Find a Solicitor directory. Revenue is primarily generated through membership subscriptions, supplemented by training fees, bookshop sales, events, and recruitment advertising.

Product overview

The Law Society operates as the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales, offering a unified membership-based service with interconnected products and resources. The core membership provides access to guidance, helplines, and representation. Key products include: Find a Solicitor (public-facing verification database), the Gazette (news publication), Legal Jobs (employment board), Bookshop (publications), Law Society Library (research service), Training/Online Learning (education), and Career Advice with Individual Accreditations. The Society also provides Practice Notes covering regulation, ethics, AI/lawtech, and various practice areas. Events and professional Networks serve the solicitor community. These offerings function as an integrated professional ecosystem supporting solicitors throughout their careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Law Society Membership Professional body membership for solicitors in England and Wales, providing access to resources, regulatory guidance, helplines, practice advice, networking communities, and representation.
• Find a Solicitor

Quantifiable outcome

• 61% of UK lawyers now use generative AI in their work, up from 46% eight months previously, indicating significant technology adoption trends the Law Society is actively supporting.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026The Law Society collaborated with the SRA in developing substantially revised supervision guidance following the Mazur ruling, expanding from 9 to 24 pages. This is a core regulatory partnership shaping professional standards for solicitors in England and Wales.
• CILEx RegulationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026CILEx Regulation co-developed the revised SRA supervision guidance, working alongside the Law Society and other regulators to clarify that non-authorised staff can lawfully carry out litigation tasks under proper direction and supervision.
• Costs Lawyer Standards BoardminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026The Costs Lawyer Standards Board participated in the multi-regulator collaboration on supervision guidance, contributing to the unified approach across legal sector regulators.
• Legal Aid AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026The Legal Aid Agency was a partner in developing the updated supervision guidance, ensuring the guidance reflects the practical realities of publicly funded legal work.
• Law Centres NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026The Law Centres Network collaborated on the supervision guidance update, representing the network of not-for-profit legal advice providers.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (AI Growth Lab)coreOthers · 1 January 2026The Law Society responded to DSIT's AI Growth Lab call for evidence, calling for clear regulatory guidance, preservation of client protections, retention of reserved legal activities, and strong oversight for legal sector sandbox pilots.
• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025The Law Society responded to the ICO's consultations on distributed ledger technologies guidance and recognised legitimate interest data processing guidance, contributing the perspective of legal professionals who advise on data protection implications.
• Bar CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025The Law Society and Bar Council submitted a joint response to the Home Office's ransomware consultation, representing the united voice of the legal profession on cybersecurity and incident reporting legislation.
• Ministry of JusticecoreOthers · 1 April 2025The Law Society responded to the Ministry of Justice's call for evidence on use of computer-generated evidence in criminal proceedings, contributing expertise on ensuring computer evidence rules keep pace with technological advances.
• Home OfficecoreOthers · 1 April 2025The Law Society and Bar Council jointly responded to the Home Office's ransomware consultation, representing the legal profession's position on proposed ransomware payment and reporting legislation.
• Department for Science, Innovation and TechnologycoreOthers · 1 February 2025The Law Society responds to government consultations on AI, copyright, distributed ledger technology, industrial strategy, and ransomware policy, engaging with DSIT as a key government stakeholder on technology and AI policy.
• University of ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2023The Law Society collaborated with researchers from the University of Manchester on a primary research project exploring perceptions of lawtech adoption among legal professionals, producing a published report and summary.
• University College London (UCL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2023The Law Society collaborated with researchers from UCL on the lawtech adoption study, combining academic expertise with industry insight to understand technology uptake across the legal sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Bar Association: National association for Canadian lawyers, offering member services, professional development, and advocacy. Comparable in scope to The Law Society's mandate but operating at a federal rather than England-and-Wales jurisdictional level.
• International Bar Association: Global organisation for the legal profession providing membership, conferences, publications, and policy work across jurisdictions. Broader than The Law Society's geographic remit but directly comparable in its role as an international voice for lawyers.
• American Bar Association: Largest voluntary professional association for lawyers in the United States, providing membership, accreditation (CLE), publications, and policy advocacy. Operates on a much larger scale and serves all US-licensed attorneys rather than a single UK-style branch.

Direct peers

• Law Society of Scotland: Professional body for Scottish solicitors, operating the same membership, representation, training, and Find a Solicitor-style directory model in a separate UK jurisdiction. Direct structural peer with comparable governance under a Royal Charter.
• The Bar Council: The Bar Council is the representative body for barristers in England and Wales, mirroring The Law Society's representational and advocacy role for the other branch of the legal profession. It co-submits policy responses with the Law Society and operates as a direct, complementary chartered professional body.
• Law Society of Ireland: Statutory professional body for solicitors in the Republic of Ireland with education, admission, regulation, and member-service functions. Comparable in role and structure to The Law Society, operating under a similar common-law jurisdiction.
• Law Society of Northern Ireland: Professional body for solicitors in Northern Ireland, providing the same representational, regulatory-support, and member-service functions as The Law Society for a separate UK jurisdiction. Closely comparable in scope, mission, and operating model.
• Law Society of New South Wales: Professional body for solicitors in Australia's largest state, delivering membership, CPD, Find a Lawyer, advocacy, and practice support under a common-law system. Direct structural and functional peer to The Law Society.
• The Law Society of Hong Kong: Statutory professional body for solicitors in Hong Kong with regulatory, educational, and member-service functions. Direct peer operating under a common-law tradition closely aligned with England and Wales.

Others

• LexisNexis: Global legal information, publishing, and AI-tooling provider serving solicitors in England and Wales with the Lexis+ AI platform and PSL research. Adjacent ecosystem participant whose products The Law Society integrates with rather than competes against.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-law-society-of-england-and-wales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Law Society