UK Solicitor Profession Structure
218,036 on the roll, 177,841 practising
A sourced, aggregate read on the SRA-regulated solicitor profession in England and Wales: the roll versus the practising population, and how the constitution mix of regulated firms has shifted. Compiled from SRA and Law Society annual statistics. Updated Jun 2026.
Key findings
- There are 218,036 solicitors on the roll in England and Wales, but only 177,841 hold a current practising certificate, a gap of roughly 40,195 admitted solicitors (18.4% of the roll).
- Being on the roll makes you a solicitor; a practising certificate is what lets you practise. The gap reflects solicitors working in-house, in business, overseas, in academia, on career breaks, or retired.
- Incorporated companies have risen from about 20% of SRA-regulated firms in 2011 to about 58.7% by 2026, a rise of about 38.7 percentage points.
- LLPs account for around 15.9% of the regulated firm base and traditional partnerships have fallen to around 10.2%. Alternative Business Structures have grown since 2012 and reinforce the incorporated share.
- These firm-structure percentages describe the stock of regulated firms by type. They are not the Companies House new-incorporation flow. The roughly 98% limited-company figure elsewhere relates to new incorporations, not to the mix of firms that exist today.
Sources: Solicitors Regulation Authority Regulated Community Statistics and The Law Society of England and Wales Annual Statistics (aggregate data). SRA statistics used with attribution; not OGL. No named-firm data. Figures may be cited with attribution to Accounts for Lawyers.
The roll versus the practising population
The roll is the permanent register of everyone admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. A practising certificate is the annual authorisation, issued by the SRA, that a solicitor must hold to practise and to carry out reserved legal activities. The two counts diverge because admission is permanent, while a practising certificate lapses whenever a solicitor stops practising.
Source: SRA Regulated Community Statistics and Law Society Annual Statistics (aggregate counts). Around 18.4% of admitted solicitors are not currently exercising a practising certificate.
How SRA-regulated firms are structured
The chart below shows the approximate share of the existing SRA-regulated firm base by constitution type. Incorporated companies have become the dominant form, LLPs have held broadly steady, and traditional partnerships have contracted. This is a stock measure: it describes the firms that are regulated today, not how many new firms register each year.
Source: Solicitors Regulation Authority, Regulated Community Statistics. Aggregate shares of the regulated firm base; percentages are approximate and subject to SRA revision. SRA statistics used with attribution; no named-firm data.
Summary figures
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Solicitors on the roll | 218,036 |
| With a practising certificate | 177,841 |
| Not currently practising | 40,195 (18.4%) |
| Incorporated firms, 2011 to 2026 | 20% → 58.7% |
| LLP share (2026) | 15.9% |
| Partnership share (2026) | 10.2% |
Source: SRA Regulated Community Statistics and Law Society Annual Statistics. Aggregate data, used with attribution under the SRA custom licence; not OGL.
Methodology and sources
Roll and practising certificates. The counts of solicitors on the roll and holding practising certificates are aggregate figures published in the latest SRA Regulated Community Statistics and the Law Society Annual Statistics Report for England and Wales. The roll is cumulative and permanent; the practising-certificate count reflects only solicitors currently authorised to practise. The difference is derived arithmetically.
Firm structure. The constitution-type shares come from the SRA Regulated Community Statistics, which count all recognised bodies, recognised sole practices, and licensed bodies (Alternative Business Structures) by type. This page uses aggregate percentages and trends only. No individual firm details are presented, and no firm ranking is implied.
Stock, not flow. Every figure on this page is a stock measure: it describes the profession and firm base as they exist today. None of these figures is a Companies House new-incorporation flow measure. In particular, the roughly 58.7% incorporated share is the share of the existing regulated firm base, not the share of new firms that incorporate, and it must not be conflated with new-incorporation statistics that report a much higher limited-company share of annual formations.
- SRA Regulated Community Statistics: Solicitor Firms and Individuals (Solicitors Regulation Authority)
- Annual Statistics Report: solicitors on the roll and with practising certificates (The Law Society of England and Wales)
Download the summary data (CSV)
SRA statistics used with attribution; not OGL. Aggregate data only; no named-firm data. Free to cite with attribution to Accounts for Lawyers.
Structuring or restructuring your practice?
The shift towards incorporation is clear across the profession, but the right structure depends on your profit level, how you extract income, and your regulatory position with the SRA. Our team works exclusively with solicitors and law firms and can model the options for your specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
How many solicitors are on the roll versus practising in England and Wales?
There are 218,036 solicitors on the roll (the register of admitted solicitors), of whom 177,841 hold a current practising certificate. That leaves around 40,195 admitted solicitors who are not exercising a practising certificate, roughly 18.4% of the roll. These figures are aggregate counts from the latest SRA and Law Society annual statistics.
What is the difference between the roll and a practising certificate?
The roll is the permanent register of everyone admitted as a solicitor. Being on the roll means you are a solicitor; it does not by itself entitle you to practise. To act as a solicitor and offer reserved legal activities you must hold a current practising certificate issued by the SRA, which requires an annual fee and ongoing regulatory obligations. Solicitors who move in-house without SRA registration, take a career break, retire, or work in non-legal roles typically remain on the roll but let their practising certificate lapse.
Why do so many solicitors stay on the roll without practising?
The gap between the roll and practising-certificate holders reflects the breadth of careers open to qualified solicitors. Admitted solicitors work in-house, in academia, in policy and regulation, in business roles, overseas, or are on parental or career breaks. Some retain their name on the roll for professional identity even after leaving legal practice. Because admission is permanent unless a solicitor is struck off or voluntarily removed, the roll accumulates over decades while the practising population reflects only those currently in regulated practice.
How has the structure of SRA-regulated law firms changed?
Incorporated companies have risen from about 20% of SRA-regulated firms in 2011 to about 58.7% by 2026. LLPs account for around 15.9% of the firm base and traditional partnerships have fallen to around 10.2%. These are shares of the existing regulated firm base (the stock of firms), not a measure of how many new firms incorporate each year. The remaining share is sole practitioners and other body types, including Alternative Business Structures.
Is this the same as the Companies House incorporation figures?
No, and the distinction matters. This page describes the stock of SRA-regulated firms by constitution type: the mix of firms that exist and are regulated today. Companies House new-incorporation data is a separate flow measure of how many new legal-sector companies are registered each year. It would be wrong to say that 98% of law firms are limited companies: the roughly 98% figure relates to the share of new incorporations that take limited-company form, not to the stock of regulated firms. Incorporated companies are about 58.7% of the existing SRA-regulated firm base.