The Law Society puts recruitment at the center of its new Small Firm Manifesto, calling for apprenticeship funding to be opened to people of any age at small and medium-sized law firms. In the manifesto report, the society said 85% of small firms identified recruitment as their biggest challenge, according to research it commissioned.
The manifesto also asks government to promote practical guidance for employers on responsibilities under the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). The Law Society said the transition to the SQE had created “new complexity for small firm employers,” with firms reporting uncertainty about candidates who had not completed their assessments.
Society Puts Recruitment at the Heart of Training Plans
Government funding for Level 7 apprenticeships, including solicitor apprenticeships, was limited last year to people aged from 16 to 21. The November budget subsequently raised the age limit to 25 for apprenticeships at SMEs. The manifesto asks government to remove the age limit for SME apprenticeships.
It also proposes that government work with Skills England to consider expanding short-course units under the new growth and skills levy to include SQE preparation modules. The Society wants Skills England and the Law Society to produce a regional legal workforce analysis and pilot regional legal training consortia in at least three locations within 12 months.
The proposed consortia would “pool training resources, coordinate shared trainee pathways, and create structured local talent pipelines for small firms.” The Law Society published the manifesto the month after the SME & Boutique Law Firm Alliance was established independently of the national body.
Manifesto Calls for Proportionate Rules
The Society is not seeking special protection for small firms. It argues for regulatory changes it says would address their operating pressures, including dropping the government’s proposed interest on lawyers’ client accounts (ILCA) scheme because of its likely impact on small firms.
The manifesto asks the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to publish small firm impact assessments before changing client account requirements and to apply proportionality when designing obligations. It also proposes an approved list of auditors with legal sector expertise and simpler audit requirements for firms below defined size thresholds.
On payments, the Society wants the government to confirm that small law firms are covered by forthcoming late payment primary legislation. It also calls for enforcement of existing 30-day public sector payment obligations in professional services supply chains.
The proposals sit alongside the regulator’s wider compliance work, including SRA compliance rule changes. The comparison is about regulatory oversight, while the manifesto focuses on how proposed requirements affect smaller firms.
Technology and Local Advice Also Feature
The manifesto says barriers to legal technology adoption at small professional services firms include knowledge and confidence as well as cost. It asks government to adapt existing SME technology programmes for legal practices, offering independent assessments, support and targeted financial assistance for essential tools.
It also proposes an enhanced tax deduction for approved software, cloud services and AI-enabled tools used in service delivery and compliance. Separately, the SRA should expand its AI resources with practical standards on professional responsibility, supervision, confidentiality, copyright, liability and data protection. Law firms’ technology questions also appear in coverage of legal technology adoption.
For access to justice, the Society calls for a community legal hub pilot programme in five locations, prioritising areas identified as legal advice deserts. The hubs would provide shared infrastructure for sole practitioners and small firms alongside wider community services.
The Society says small firms are not a special interest group seeking protection from the market. It describes them as a public good and a primary way individuals and businesses access justice and professional advice. The Law Society’s other work on the profession includes its solicitor wellbeing alliance.
The evidence for the manifesto combines qualitative research commissioned from YouGov, economic analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, and the Society’s own focus groups. YouGov conducted 20 in-depth interviews with SME law firms.
