LSRA welcomes the significant work underway by the professional bodies across these areas to support a diverse and accessible legal profession

Wednesday, 21st October 2026: The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) has today published its fourth progress report on the implementation of recommendations to address barriers facing aspiring and early career solicitors and barristers arising from the Breaking Down Barriers project.

Since 2024, the LSRA along with the Law Society of Ireland, the Honorable Society of King’s Inns and The Bar of Ireland have been progressing the Breaking Down Barriers Implementation Plan.

Covering the period April 2026 to September 2026, this report builds on previous updates and reflects a continued programme of work with the professional bodies and other stakeholders. This phase of implementation has focused on progressing key areas of work to support the continued broadening access to education, training and early career opportunities, and contribute to a more inclusive and diverse professional legal services sector in the public interest.

Speaking on publication of this progress report the LSRA CEO, Niamh Muldoon, said “Further significant progress has been in this reporting period on the implementation of recommendations set out in the Breaking Down Barriers report, published in January 2024, which set out 32 recommendations to address the challenges identified.

“The continued commitment of the professional bodies to making meaningful changes to broaden access to a career in the legal professions is commendable. The initiatives being introduced, embedded and enhanced will promote diversity in the legal professions.

“The LSRA looks forward to working with the professional bodies to ensure that the commitment we made to improve accessibility to legal professional training and increasing diversity within the profession remains a consistent focus for us all.”

Some of the highlights in this report include:

  • The Law Society of Ireland and the Honorable Society of King’s Inns have set up the necessary structures to gather data on diversity from trainee solicitors and student barristers undertaking their training courses. The data will be collected annually from 2026, allowing measurements and trends to be tracked and compared over time, providing a benchmark to assess progress, informing future initiatives to ensure broadened access and promote diversity in the legal professions.
  • The Law Society’s new apprenticeship programme is expected to welcome its first cohort from September 2027 with expressions of interest accepted from Autumn 2026.
  • The professional bodies are collaborating with the Courts Service to enhance supports available for members of the legal professions with disabilities.
  • The professional bodies have continued to develop ongoing initiatives to promote equality, diversity and inclusion at entry points to, and across the legal professions.

In addition to progress highlighted in this report, significant work is underway in the development of new accreditation standards for legal professional programmes enabling eligibility to the professions of barrister and solicitor. This work includes design of competency frameworks for graduate professional legal education programme providers, training solicitors and barristers. This work will build on the existing frameworks for each profession. A commitment to improving accessibility to legal professional training and increasing diversity within the profession remains a consistent focus throughout the development of the competencies and standards for solicitors and barristers.

The drafting of competencies and standards for both branches of the legal professions are advancing, with feedback and input sought through a public consultation in the coming months.

The Legal Services Regulatory Authority was established in 2016 and is an independent authority. We are Ireland’s national statutory regulator for both branches of the legal profession – barristers and solicitors. Our mission is to regulate the provision of legal services by barristers and solicitors and to ensure that standards are maintained and improved.

 

ENDS