Business plan 2024/25

1. We will promote the value of the profession and provide a compelling member offer

We have made progress over the last two years in growing members' engagement, the value they see in their membership and their sense of belonging to the Law Society.

We will achieve further progress by being a powerful voice for solicitors, championing issues that matter to them and providing support and resources to help them succeed in their careers, businesses and organisations.

In 2024/25, we will:

1. deliver a programme of events across all regions to engage as many members as possible in celebrating the bicentenary of the Law Society
2. refresh and update relevant content and support focusing on priority groups, including residential conveyancers, in-house solicitors, freelancers, junior solicitors and aspiring solicitors
3. raise awareness of the benefits and opportunities created for members through the Law Society's international work, including market access and business development
4. launch a four-year ambitious member-facing diversity and inclusion strategy to lead and support the profession in driving change in key areas
5. continue to advocate for member interests on key regulatory matters in our dealings with the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Legal Services Board and other interested bodies
6. ensure members receive support on the challenges and opportunities facing their businesses, including tech innovation, cybersecurity, climate change, retention and progression
7. develop further practical resources for members on the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies
8. launch the Get Involved strategy to ensure more members are more engaged with more of our work

2. We will protect the justice system and make sure it applies to everyone equally

We continue to build on our successful track record of positively influencing legislation and policy.

We do this by bringing together the world-class expertise of our members to ensure new legislation, policy and regulation protects and promotes access to justice and the rule of law.

Not only is justice and the rule of law an essential foundation of our own democracy, but it is also at the heart of the UK's international reputation and reach, and therefore of huge value economically and strategically.

With a new government elected with a large majority in summer 2024, we expect a very busy legislative session in the final year of our current strategy. We will work to actively influence all relevant debates.

In 2024/25, we will:

1. deliver the final year of the reframing justice programme to promote practical recommendations on how to best communicate the value of the rule of law and access to justice, and how the solicitor profession upholds these
2. deliver the final year of our 21st century justice project, promoting proposals to build a better civil justice system
3. deliver the final year of our professional ethics programme, providing new member resources focusing on in-house members and helping to shape the wider debate on the role of solicitors in society
4. campaign for improved outcomes for criminal legal aid, building on our work in recent years, including our judicial review of the previous lord chancellor's decision on rates
5. continue our engagement with the devolution agenda in Wales, ensuring that the views of members in both Wales and England are taken into account in setting the future direction of devolution
6. influence the Ministry of Justice review on civil legal aid to improve access to justice for the public and make civil legal aid practice sustainable for our members
7. engage the new UK government across legal policy developments and to promote the economic value of the profession
8. influence the regulatory framework around ethics, AI and the future landscape, ensuring that the solicitor profession can maximise the benefits of responsible technology adoption and innovation

3. We will maximise our potential by growing our commercial reach, by being efficient and sustainable

We have made good progress against our commercial strategy.

While we rely on the practising certificate (PC) fee for the bulk of our funding, we aim, over time, to grow commercial activities as a proportion of our income.

Like every organisation, we face increased costs and economic uncertainty.

However, our commercial foundations and digital infrastructure are more solid today than they have been in previous years and, working as one team with our volunteer members, we are confident of building on this to ensure financial strength.

In 2024/25, we will:

1. grow income and deliver year three of the commercial strategy, with a focus on key products including accreditations and Law Society Learning
2. implement the decisions of Board and Council for the refurbishment of our heritage properties at 114 Chancery Lane and 60 Carey Street
3. continue to adapt our business and operations to achieve Net Zero by 2030
4. continue to invest in modernising our member-facing digital platforms to enhance user experience and boost commercial opportunities
5. deliver and embed the upgrade to our customer relationship management systems to enable greater member and customer engagement and segmentation
6. deliver and embed improvements to our financial reporting platform to provide insight to the commercial performance of our activities
7. update the reporting of operational key performance indicators (KPIs), helping management team to deliver better value for members

4. We will be an employer of choice for people who want to make a difference

Our people strategy places inclusion at the heart of our drive to be a high-performing professional body.

As we move towards our 200th anniversary, we want to celebrate our heritage but also be an organisation that attracts and retains diverse and talented people.

Our members uphold the rule of law and our justice system, both key principles underpinning the values of our society.

We know our people already feel passionately that this work makes a difference, and are proud of their roles and the part they play.

In 2024/25, we will:

1. embed our new reward framework, ensuring transparent, fair and equitable pay decisions to celebrate and value employees and their efforts
2. develop our proposals regarding pay progression and recognition, plus a review of wider benefits
3. develop our employee value proposition to attract and retain talent and support growth by building trust and commitment among employees
4. deliver the final year outputs from our staff-facing diversity and inclusion strategy, embedding a fully inclusive culture across the society
5. continue to develop and embed staff engagement activities to build on recent achievements and our aspiration to achieve higher accreditation with Investors in People
6. begin creating an organisation capability model that will align with the existing people, process and technology models to prioritise work, leverage resources and improve performance
7. launch the Get Involved programme to enhance member experience and member engagement in the work of the Law Society