Minister McEntee publishes new report on barriers to entry to legal professions
- Foilsithe: 18 Meán Fómhair 2024
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 17 Meán Fómhair 2024
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, TD, has today published a report highlighting the barriers facing many newly qualified and early career solicitors and barristers.
The report, Breaking Down Barriers: Addressing the challenges facing early career legal professionals, was carried out by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA), the statutory body responsible for regulating legal services and the legal professions.
It examines how a range of issues such as financial means, geography and connections in the legal professions can act as obstacles to progression. The report finds that these barriers are magnified for certain groups.
Welcoming the report which the Minister asked the LSRA to complete in 2020, Minister McEntee said:
“An implementation plan will now be developed to implement the recommendations in the report. It will be published within weeks.
“I believe passionately that we must do all we can to widen and increase access to education, training, and career opportunities in the legal sector.
“Any person who has the skills and the determination to pursue a legal career should be able to do so – irrespective of their gender, background, ethnicity or means. Indeed, greater diversity and inclusion can only strengthen the profession and enhance the legal system’s capability to serve Irish society.
“The LSRA submitted the Setting Standards - Legal Professional Education and Training Report to me in 2020, which made a number of recommendations to reform professional legal education and training.
“Following on from that publication, I asked the Authority to carry out this report, paying particular attention to equity of access and entry to the legal professions, and the objective of achieving greater diversity within the professions. I welcome the report’s 32 recommendations for wide-ranging and meaningful reforms that will make a real difference.”
The report makes recommendations to address a number of areas such as:
• The costs of qualification and the length of time it takes post-graduation before a prospective solicitor or barrister can expect to qualify;
• the impact of long working hours and lack of workplace flexibility on work-life balance;
• how to ensure greater access to the legal professions for people from diverse backgrounds;
• how to facilitate additional solicitor training contracts outside large law firms; and
• the challenges early career legal professionals face in regards to earning a living and job security.
Minister McEntee added:
“The report recommends that the Authority and the Bar of Ireland should explore innovative solutions to develop appropriate financial supports for barrister pupils.
“It also recommends collaboration between the Authority, law firms and the professional bodies on the introduction of measures to ensure positive workplace culture and employee wellbeing.
“The report further recommends 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.
“I want these reforms to be implemented without delay and have asked the LSRA to produce an outcome-focussed plan for the delivery of the recommendations contained in the report, which I expect to receive in the coming weeks. I have further requested that the LSRA will report on progress every six months.”
The ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ report is the final of a series of reports on areas of potential structural reform completed by the LSRA under Section 34(4) of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015.
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.
These are to:-
· 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, and
· promote and maintain adherence to the professional principles of legal practitioners as specified in the Act.
The Authority’s eleven functions are set out in detail under Section 13 of the Act.
Basis of ‘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.
At each stage of this three-phased process, the Authority produced a separate Report. The Authority has now made a total of 32 recommendations. 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.