A former Law Society president has called for greater attention to the pressures affecting solicitors from different backgrounds, as it was revealed a disproportionate number of Black solicitors are seeking support from The Solicitors Charity.
Dr I. Stephanie Boyce CBE (pictured), president of the Law Society of England and Wales from March 2021 until October 2022, said figures revealing that whilst around 3% of solicitor are Black they make up 15% of solicitors approaching The Solicitors Charity for help are “concerning”.
The figures – reflecting the number of people who approached the charity for help in 2025 – should encourage further discussion about the barriers preventing people from thriving in the profession, Dr Boyce said.
Now chair of The Solicitors Charity – which provides support for solicitors across emotional, physical, professional and financial wellbeing – Dr Boyce made history as the first Black person to serve as Law Society president, a role she held for 19 months during a period shaped by the pandemic, Brexit and wider international unrest.
In a discussion with the charity’s CEO Nick Gallagher, Dr Boyce said the profession must focus on helping people remain, progress and thrive in their chosen career.
“We as a profession have to ask ourselves what is going on, and what we should be doing”, she told Gallagher during an episode of the Legal Pause podcast.
“Having done so much work getting people in, it is not enough just to stop there. We need to help people be sustained in our profession and thrive in our profession.”
The episode explores Dr Boyce’s journey into law, the barriers she faced, the persistence that shaped her career and the leadership lessons she learned along the way. She reflects on the importance of listening, adaptability and humility in leadership, as well as the determination required to reach the presidency after three previous rejections.
The discussion also examines how redundancy, financial pressure, career uncertainty, discrimination and mental or physical ill health can affect solicitors at different stages of legal life.
Gallagher said: “Stephanie’s experience brings together two important conversations for the profession. We need to continue removing barriers to access and progression, while also making sure that people already working in law have the support they need to stay and thrive.
“The figures discussed in this episode deserve greater attention. They raise important questions about who is seeking support and what more we can do, collectively, to ensure that help is visible, accessible and available when it is needed.”
