Minister McEntee publishes plan to address barriers to entry to legal professions and early career progression
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From: Department of Justice
- Published on: 31 October 2024
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has today (Thursday) published a plan to address the barriers facing many newly qualified and early career solicitors and barristers. The plan was noted by Government at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.
Minister McEntee asked the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) to submit a plan to implement the recommendations of its Breaking Down Barriers Report.
The report, which was published in September, examined how a range of issues such as financial means, geography and professional connections can act as obstacles to progression for those studying or starting out in the legal professions.
Welcoming the development at Cabinet today, Minister McEntee said:
“We must do everything possible to widen and increase access to education, training, and career opportunities. Any person who has the skills and determination to pursue a career in the legal professions should be empowered to do so, irrespective of their social or economic background, gender, ethnicity or where they are from.
“The Breaking Down Barriers Report identified key areas in need of reform, and this implementation plan identifies a clear and cohesive path by which this reform can be achieved.
“To ensure continued momentum and progress, I have requested that the LSRA provide progress reports to my Department every 6 months.”
The plan contains 32 recommendations, and the implementation process will be led by the CEO of the LSRA, who will also chair the Barriers Implementation Working Group.
Relevant professional bodies will be invited to nominate representatives to sit on the Working Group, which will hold quarterly progress update meetings with the legal professional bodies, the Law Society of Ireland, the Honourable Society of King’s Inns and the Bar of Ireland.
The Minister added:
“Reform at this level will involve a range of stakeholders and I welcome the LSRA’s prioritising of regular meetings, discussion, and collaboration between the relevant parties to drive progress.
“I am particularly pleased to see that the LSRA’s annual ‘Pathways to the Professions’, report on admissions to the legal professions will be used as a reporting mechanism on issues such as diversity among entrants to legal professional education and training.
“Where the proposed recommendations relate to legal professional education and training, input will be sought from the Legal Practitioners Education and Training Committee (LPET), the establishment of which was recommended in the 2020 report, ‘Setting Standards: Legal Practitioner Education and Training and will require primary legislation’.
“The LRSA has established an Education and Training Committee, to undertake the preparatory work necessary for the establishment of the LPET.”
Dr Brian Doherty, Chief Executive Officer of the Legal Service Regulatory Authority said:
“The LSRA very much looks forward to working with all relevant stakeholders with the common goal of building a more inclusive and diverse legal services sector.
“The recommendations made in the Breaking Down Barriers report represent an important reform initiative which will build upon measures introduced in recent years by key stakeholders, including the professional bodies for solicitors and barristers, the Law Society of Ireland, the Bar of Ireland and the Honorable Society of King’s Inns.”
The LSRA Breaking Down Barriers Implementation Plan can be accessed here: https://www.lsra.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LSRA-Barriers-Report-Implementation-Plan-FINAL.pdf
ENDS
Notes for Editors
The Legal Services Regulatory Authority is responsible for the regulation of the provision of legal services by legal practitioners. The 2015 Act sets out at section 13 (4), the six statutory objectives of the Authority:
• Protect and promote the public interest.
• Support the proper and effective administration of justice.
• Protect and promote the interests of consumers relating to the provision of legal services.
• Promote competition in the provision of legal services in the State.
• Encourage an independent, strong and effective legal profession.
• Promote and maintain adherence to the professional principles of legal practitioners as specified in the Act.
‘Breaking Down Barriers’ Report
Section 34(4) of the Act requires the Authority to submit a number of specific reports to the Minister for Justice on issues relating to the legal professions. It also allows for the Minister to request reports on specific subjects.
In November 2020, following the submission of the Setting Standards - Legal Professional Education and Training Report which made a number of recommendations to reform professional legal education and training, the Authority was asked by the Minister for Justice to “consider the economic and other barriers that continue to be faced by young barristers and solicitors following their professional qualification from the King’s Inns and the Law Society, respectively.”
The Minister also requested that the Authority pay particular attention to equity of access and entry to the legal professions, and the objective of achieving greater diversity within the professions. The Minister asked the Authority to make recommendations in relation to changes which could be introduced by way of effective reform of the present system.
In fulfilment of the Minister’s request, the Authority undertook a three-phased process in which it first explored the barriers and challenges facing early career legal professionals through an extensive research study and consultation; secondly the Authority analysed the findings of the research project to better understand the nature and scope of those barriers; and finally, the Authority identified a range of measures to address the identified barriers through a series of recommendations to the Minister for Justice.
At each stage of this three-phased process, the Authority produced a separate Report. The Authority made a total of 32 recommendations to the Minister for Justice. The Implementation Plan submitted by the LRSA, highlights the steps needed to achieve the proposed reforms.
The aim of these reforms is to improve equity of access and entry into the legal profession and increase diversity within the profession. The recommendations are wide ranging, and include that the Authority should collaborate with law firms and the professional bodies on the introduction of measures to ensure positive workplace culture and employee wellbeing; that the Authority and the Bar of Ireland should explore innovative solutions to develop appropriate financial supports for barrister pupils; and that demographic data should be collected and published to establish a diversity profile of the legal profession and to inform and monitor actions to encourage greater diversity.
These recommendations are also set in the context of the plan previously agreed between the Minster and the LSRA to commence the reform of the provision of professional legal education, and in particular the establishment of a committee under Section 16 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 to undertake work to, amongst other things, develop competency frameworks for both professions and
to establish the processes and framework necessary to allow new providers of legal professional training to enter the market place.