The joy that 'Practising solicitors to break 100,000 barrier' is both misplaced and inaccurate (see [2005] Gazette, 30 June, 1). The annual statistical report's total of 96,757 'practising solicitors' is actually a count of those with a current practising certificate, and not the number actually practising as solicitors. There are also numerous central government solicitors entitled to practise (and doing so) without a practising certificate, pursuant to the exemption in the Solicitors Act 1974.

As the statistics show that only 175 government solicitors have a practising certificate, the remainder have clearly been ignored for statistical purposes. If these individuals (and other such lawfully practising solicitors) are added in to the total, it is almost certainly above 100,000 already. Surely a more accurate statistic for the Law Society to collate and quote would be the total number of solicitors actively working as legal advisers (either in private practice or in-house/ government). On this basis, almost all of those on the roll would be 'practising solicitors'.


Adrian Barham, Office of the Solicitor, Department for Work & Pensions/Department of Health, London