The number of solicitors on the roll has reached an all-time high, and one in four practising certificate (PC) holders work in-house.
According to the Law Society’s annual statistics report, which has been compiled over a period of 30 years and was published last week, the proportion of solicitors working in-house has risen by an average of 1% per year to 25%.
Law Society president I Stephanie Boyce said: ‘As an in-house lawyer myself, it is encouraging to see solicitors employed in-house by organisations, ranging from FTSE and private companies to local authorities, now make up a quarter of the profession.’
There were a record 209,215 solicitors on the roll in 2021 (up 3% on the year before), while the number of solicitors with PCs in the 12 months up to the end of July 2021 reached 153,282 (up 2%). Women now make up 53% of practising solicitors.
