The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) has published its Pathways to the Professions 2025 report, revealing increased numbers entering professional training and qualifying as solicitors and barristers, alongside continued demand for more flexible routes into the legal professions.
The report shows that 583 newly qualified solicitors received first-time practising certificates in 2025, representing a 54% increase on the previous year, while 150 barristers were called to the Bar, an increase of 10% compared to 2024. At the end of 2025, Ireland had 16,089 practising legal professionals, comprising 12,961 solicitors and 3,128 barristers, marking a 6% increase on the previous year.
Entry into professional training also continued to grow, with 581 trainee solicitors and 139 student barristers commencing their professional education in 2025, representing increases of 7% and 16% respectively.
The report highlights the increasing popularity of flexible training pathways. Nearly one in five new solicitor trainees enrolled on the Law Society's part-time Professional Practice Course (PPC) Hybrid, while more than twice as many student barristers opted for the Honorable Society of King's Inns' two-year modular Barrister-at-Law programme than the traditional full-time course. According to the LSRA, these pathways are attracting a broader range of entrants, including mature students and graduates from non-law disciplines.
Launching the report, LSRA Chief Executive Officer Niamh Muldoon said the continued growth in flexible training routes reflected efforts to widen access to the legal professions while maintaining high standards of legal education and training.
The report also notes sustained demand for legal services and ongoing work to develop a new National Competency Framework for solicitors and barristers. It highlights the importance of expanding trainee opportunities outside Dublin, observing that 82% of solicitor trainees secured training contracts in Dublin during 2025, while 64% trained with one of the State's 19 largest firms.
The Pathways to the Professions 2025 report is the seventh annual report submitted by the LSRA to the Minister for Justice under the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 and is available on the LSRA website.
Click here to read the report.