We planned to excel as a world-leading professional body with technology and inclusion at its core. From 1 November 2021 to 31 October 2022, we did this through the following activities.
Key facts and figures
Excel projects
Action | Outcome | Complete/Not complete |
---|---|---|
Equality, diversity and inclusion at the Society We will be a leading organisation and employer on diversity, obtaining a national accreditation which recognises this work. |
During the year, we were awarded the Investors in Diversity accreditation. We have agreed an action plan with the help of the National Centre for Diversity to ensure we will be on track to be re-accredited in 2024. | Complete |
Our impact on the environment We will lessen our impact on the environment by agreeing and implementing a new carbon management programme. |
An updated carbon footprint assessment and carbon management programme were completed, reflecting a base year and two years of carbon footprint data. Our travel policy was updated to reflect our commitment to the environment, encouraging the use of public transport and active travel, while discouraging short-haul air travel. | Complete |
Our governance We will design and implement new policies and processes for the effective management of our committees, as well as key operational processes. |
We significantly improved our committee recruitment activities to ensure that we can attract excellent candidates to join our committees. This was achieved by an improved application process; adverts placed in strategically targeted platforms not used before; improved committee content on our website; a more consistent selection process across committees; and a dedicated member of staff. Further recommendations have been incorporated into the Society’s Annual Plan for 2023. A detailed policy gap analysis was completed within the Law Society’s Finance and Operations Directorate. A number of policies were amended, or created, within the Finance, IT, Governance, and Member Registration areas. | Complete |
A new five-year strategy We will agree a new five-year strategy for 2022‐27. |
The Law Society’s new strategy was developed with input from our members. We hosted an online forum in February 2022, which was open to all members to attend, where we operated facilitated breakout discussion groups on various themes to draw on their experience and insight, in addition to contributions from the Law Society’s Board, Council, committees and staff team. The strategy was formally launched on 20 October 2022 at an online event for members and was publicised through our main communications channels, including social media, Lawscot News and the Journal. The new strategy is available to read on the Law Society’s website. | Complete |
Value for money We will maximise our value for money by implementing a revised procurement policy and associated new processes. |
We made good progress with the implementation of a procurement policy and a contracts register. A key part of improving our purchasing process, however, is the implementation of a new finance system. This project forms part of our wider IT Programme and Strategy, which is on track overall, but was not completed in the year under review. | Not complete |
Cyber security We will work towards our medium-term goal of security accreditation by continuing to implement the agreed recommendations from our review of our IT security. |
We put in place a programme of work focused on cyber security improvements based on an independent audit allowing us to prioritise accordingly. Significant progress was made through various workstreams including new wi-fi and telephone systems. We introduced cyber security training for all colleagues, continuing our work to educate colleagues on the risks around cyber security. | Complete |
Annual report 2022
Our annual report and financial statements for 2021/22.