In May 2021, the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LRSA) invited written submissions on a consultation entitled “Barriers for Early Career Solicitors and Barristers and Increasing Diversity“.
The consultation was based on a request from the Minister for Justice for the LRSA to:
“Consider the economic and other barriers faced by young barristers and solicitors following their qualification from the King’s Inns and Law Society respectively and to submit a report with recommendations for her consideration. [emphasis added]”
The first meeting of the Steering Committee for the disAbility Legal Network considered disability within “other barriers” and agreed on a response to the LRSA. We did not have any representative of the Bar of Ireland at the first meeting, so our responses were informed by a lived experience of working as a trainee/qualified solicitor with a disability in Ireland.
We finalised and made our submission on 6 July 2021.
The LRSA conducted a survey related to this consultation among solicitors and barristers in October 2021.