James Joseph is JURIST’s UK Senior Editor.

I have previously written about my work alongside Emma Lilley, an in-house solicitor, in campaigning for The Law Society (the professional association representing solicitors in England and Wales) to host a regional call ceremony for solicitors outside London, where all calls have traditionally taken place. Finally, after a year of back-and-forth discussions, this will happen. Solicitors will be able to attend call ceremonies across the country. The very first regional call will take place at Leeds Civic Hall on 11th September 2023 with Lubna Shuja, President of The Law Society, presiding.

This marks a huge step for both The Law Society and the legal profession at large. Historically, Holborn in Central London has been the exclusive “home” of law for both barristers and solicitors, from the Royal Courts of Justice and Rolls Building, to the Law Society and The Inns of Courts. As a solicitor, if you wish to attend a ceremony and have your special day, the travel and accommodation costs of attending these ceremonies have been significant, and have been shown to put many off, although under the Solicitors Act 1974, one must be admitted to the role of solicitor in order to practice ((Section 3 (1)).

Aside from issues of accessibility and cost (amidst a cost of living crisis)  we also have largely transitioned to an online society. During Covid, The Law Society itself started doing virtual call ceremonies via Zoom.

Emma Lilley, who has been championing this cause since the pandemic told JURIST: “I’m relieved that we have the first regional admissions ceremony scheduled after the hard work of our community on this cause.”

I’ll have more on this and other timely topics relating to lawyers and the rule of law in an exclusive JURIST interview with Law Society President Shuja scheduled for August 16.