Stand for election to our Council
- Who can stand for election?
- Seats up for election
- How to stand
- What’s involved in being a Council member?
- Stand for election
Every year, a number of seats on our Council come up for election.
Council has 97 seats, each filled by a solicitor representing a constituency relating to a geographic area, work practice or characteristic.
These representatives ensure the views of solicitors in their constituency are heard as we set our position on key issues affecting the profession and develop a high-quality and relevant member offer.
Our vision is to promote, protect and support solicitors, the rule of law and justice in England and Wales.
Council members play an important role in helping us in achieving this.
Nominations for most seats closed at midday on Friday 10 May 2024, with Essex, Lincolnshire, and Warwickshire and Worcestershire closing on Friday 17 May 2024.
Who can stand for election?
You must be a member of the Law Society to be eligible to nominate yourself for election.
For geographic seats, you must have a work or home address within the constituency you’re standing for election in.
For work practice and characteristic seats, you will need to create a free My LS account to confirm your work practice and/or characteristics.
Seats up for election
Preliminary notice is hereby given, in accordance with bye-law 49, that elections for members of the Council will take place for the constituencies listed below:
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes EC1-4, WC1-2, W1-W2, W6, W8-11, W14, SW1, SW3, SW5-7, SW10, NW1, NW3, NW5 and NW8.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes CA and LA.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes BS14, BS20-31, BS39-40, BS41-49, BA, TQ, TA, EX1-22 and EX24-39.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes BH1-23, BH31, DT1-11 and SP1-9.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes CO1-6, CO11-16, CM0-9, CM11-20, CM24, CM77, CM99, EN9, IG, RM, SS, E4 and E18.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes DN15-21, DN31-41, LN, NG31-34, PE9-12 and PE20-25.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes L, CH41-63, PR8-9 and WA1-13.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes M, SK1-8, SK13-16 and WA14-16.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes SA and SY23-25.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes DH, SR, NE, DL, TS, TD12 and TD15.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes N1, N4-11 N13-19, N21-22, E1-3, E5, E6-17, E20 and EN1-3.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes B49-50, B60-61, B80, B95, CV1-12, CV14-47, DY10-14 and WR.
This seat has arisen due to a resignation. The successful candidate will begin their term immediately and serve until the date their predecessor’s term was due to end.
You must have a work or home address within the postcodes BD, DN1-12, DN14, HX, HG, HU, HD, OL14, S1-31, S33-39, S60-76, WF and YO.
You must practise in the area of criminal defence work.
This seat has arisen due to a resignation. The successful candidate will begin their term immediately and serve until the date their predecessor’s term was due to end.
You must have less than six completed years of post-qualification experience (PQE) as at the last date of nominations.
The successful candidate will serve a three-year term.
You must have at least six and no more than 12 completed years of post-qualification experience (PQE) as at the last date of nominations.
The successful candidates will serve a three-year term.
You must be recognised as a sole practitioner.
How to stand for election
To nominate yourself to stand for election, you’ll need to complete a nomination form and write a personal statement (up to 1,000 words).
You’ll also need two other Law Society members in the relevant constituency to support your nomination and sign the form.
For work practice and characteristic seats, the people supporting your nomination will also need to create a My LS account and confirm their work type and/or characteristics.
The Law Society recognises the value of diversity and inclusion.
We encourage nominations from eligible solicitors from a range of backgrounds, regardless of sex, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or gender.
We ask that you complete a diversity monitoring form alongside your nomination. This will not affect your application – it’s purely for monitoring purposes.
Nomination forms, personal statements and a head-and-shoulders photo of yourself should be sent by email to councilelections@lawsociety.org.uk and addressed to the chief executive of the Law Society.
We must receive your nomination for the Essex, Lincolnshire or Warwickshire and Worcestershire seats no later than midday on Friday 17 May 2024.
We do not accept nominations in hard copy.
What’s involved in being a Council member?
Council members have a range of responsibilities, including to:
- take part in forming our strategy and policy
- attend Council meetings and represent the views of their constituency
- keep up to date with our work through policy papers and other documents
Council meetings are hybrid and take place four to five times per year. This includes our annual general meeting (AGM) which takes place every October.
Successful candidates will take office at the end of our AGM on Wednesday 9 October 2024, except where they are filling the casual vacancy, when they take office immediately.
The successful candidates will be invited to an induction meeting in autumn.
Unless otherwise stated, the normal term of office of a Council member is four years.
Stand for election to Council
To stand for election, download the:
- nomination form (Word 131 KB)
- diversity monitoring and equal opportunities form (Word 160 KB)
- guidance notes for candidates (PDF 115 KB)
- Council member roles and responsibilities
To apply for one of the three remaining seats, nomination forms, personal statements and a head-and-shoulders photo should be emailed to councilelections@lawsociety.org.uk by midday on Friday 17 May 2024, and be addressed to the chief executive of the Law Society.
If you have any questions:
- email councilelections@lawsociety.org.uk
- call 020 8049 4109
- read our bye-laws