The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) today published its second six-month update documenting progress made towards its recommended actions to address economic and other barriers facing many aspiring and early career solicitors and barristers.

The update reports on the activities of the LSRA and the professional bodies for solicitors and barristers — the Law Society of Ireland, the Honorable Society of King’s Inn and The Bar of Ireland — in implementing a total of 32 recommendations to widen access to the legal professions and increase diversity.

The LSRA brought forward the recommendations in its final Breaking Down Barriers report, submitted to the then justice minister Helen McEntee in January 2024. The minister welcomed these as “meaningful reforms that will make a real difference”.

An implementation plan was published in September 2024, setting out tasks and timelines for the delivery of the 32 wide-ranging reform proposals over the implementation period, which runs until the end of 2026.

The latest update notes progress on recommendations including the introduction of annual reporting on diversity of students and trainees.

“In July 2025, the LSRA-appointed diversity experts, the Bridge Group, provided a draft expert research report on the collection of diversity data on student barristers and trainee solicitors by the training providers,” it states.

“The draft report includes a diversity data questionnaire and expert guidance on data collection, storage and reporting. It was developed in consultation with the LSRA, the Law Society and the King’s Inns.

“The LSRA has shared the draft expert report with the professional bodies and invited their feedback.”