Here are the key statistics about the profession (as at 31 July 2009):

There were 145,381 solicitors on the Roll, an increase of 4.1% on the year before.

At the same date, 115,475 solicitors held practising certificates (79.4% of those on the Roll), an increase of 2.7% on the previous year.

Since 1979, the total number of solicitors holding practising certificates has grown by 222.8% at an average annual rate of 4.0%.

These solicitors were employed in 16,812 separate organisations of which 15,140 were based in England and Wales.

85,128, or 73.7%, of solicitors holding practising certificates work in private practice; the remainder work mainly in commerce and industry and the public sector.

In 2008/09, excluding those for whom the ethnicity is unknown, solicitors from minority ethnic groups accounted for 11.4% of all solicitors on the Roll, 10.6% of all solicitors with practising certificates, and 9.8% of all solicitors in private practice.

Women now account for 45.2% of solicitors with practising certificates. Whereas since 1999 the total number of solicitors holding practising certificates has grown by 45.2%, the number of women holding practising certificates has nearly doubled, having increased by 86.9%.

In 2008 there were 27,384 applicants to study first degree courses in law in England and Wales, of whom 19,020 (69.5%) were accepted.

Of those who took the LPC examination in 2009, 75.1% passed.

There were 10,803 full time and 3,152 part-time LPC places available in 2008/09. In 2009-10 there will be 11,370 full-time and 3,112 part-time places available.

There were 5,809 new traineeships registered in the year 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009. This is a decrease of 7.8% on the level recorded last year.