The Law Society’s Small Firm Manifesto places recruitment and retention at the centre of its proposals for small firms and sole practitioners in England and Wales. Legal Futures reported that 85% of small firms cited recruitment as their biggest challenge. That figure comes from Law Society-commissioned 2023 qualitative YouGov research: in-depth interviews with partners at 20 SME law firms. It should not be presented as independently verified or representative of the whole profession.
The manifesto calls for eligible small firms to have age-neutral access to Level 7 solicitor apprenticeships, employer guidance on responsibilities under the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, and exploration of SQE-preparation modules within Skills England short-course units. It also proposes regional legal-workforce analysis, training-consortium pilots, shared trainee pathways and local talent pipelines.
The Law Society says its wider evidence base included Cebr analysis, 2026 partner focus groups and committee and member engagement. It also notes that some acute pressures reported in 2023 have moderated. The proposals are recommendations, not adopted government or regulator policy, and the sources do not establish that they will resolve recruitment or retention challenges.