Law Society: Your questions answered about the special general meeting

The Law Society of England Wales answers all the questions about the special general meeting (23 July 2024).

518 members have registered to attend a special general meeting (SGM) of the Law Society on Tuesday 23 July. Here, we answer questions that have been raised with us ahead of the meeting.

Why has an SGM been called?

You can explore why an SGM has been called and what the Law Society response is by reading our SGM notice and Council statement.

When will the SGM take place?

The SGM will take place on Tuesday 23 July at 2 p.m.

Members of the Law Society who successfully completed the registration process can attend, take part in the debate and vote.

How many people have registered to attend?

518 members have successfully registered to attend the meeting.

Some members have chosen to attend in person, while most of those registered will attend online.

What did the registration process involve?

Participation in an SGM is limited to members of the Law Society.

We have put sensible and standard administrative measures in place to verify that those wishing to take part are in fact Law Society members. 

Membership verification was based on checking four basic pieces of information during the registration process:

* name

* date of birth

* Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) number

* email address registered with the SRA

Email addresses were required because, unlike names and SRA numbers, these are not necessarily in the public domain.

Further, UK Engage, the independent organisation administering the vote, requires a valid email address to issue the electronic ballots. 

Registrations for the SGM opened on 20 June. A deadline of 9 a.m. on 15 July was set to give sufficient time for UK Engage to prepare and issue ballots.

I’ve had a message saying I couldn’t register for the meeting – why?

Participation in an SGM is limited to members of the Law Society.

We have put standard administrative measures in place to verify that those wishing to take part are in fact Law Society members. 

Some people provided information during the registration process that does not match their SRA record.

We have been able to support most of this group with their attempt to register and they will be able to take part in the meeting.

We notified 30 individuals who had attempted to register before the 15 July deadline that the information they provided did not match their SRA record.

We gave these 30 people until 10 a.m. on 19 July to provide correct information. This final deadline is to make sure UK Engage can issue ballots in a timely and effective manner.

Nine out of these 30 individuals did not respond to our repeated attempts to contact them before 10 a.m. on 19 July, so will not be able to take part in the meeting.

Can I still register to attend the meeting?

No. The registration process closed at 9 a.m. on 15 July and no further applications to attend will be accepted.

The deadline was set to give sufficient time for UK Engage to prepare and issue ballots.

Who are UK Engage and what is their role in the SGM?

We have taken a range of steps throughout the planning process for the meeting to ensure the integrity of the proceeding.

The vote itself will be administered by UK Engage, an independent third party.

UK Engage will issue voting registrations and manage the process independently of Law Society staff or members.

When will I receive joining instructions for the meeting?

Members who registered to attend the SGM will receive an email from [email protected] on Monday 22 July to the email address supplied during the registration process.

If you registered to attend the meeting in-person, you will receive information on:

* what to do when you arrive at 113 Chancery Lane

* what you will need to bring with you, and

* an overview of how the voting process will work

If you registered to attend the meeting online, you will receive:

* information on how to join the meeting

* information on how the voting process will work

* information on what to do if you experience any technical difficulties, and

* a separate link to the Microsoft Teams meeting

If you do not receive an email on Monday 22 July, check your spam folders before contacting our Support Centre.

Call 0207 320 5757 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

How and when will I receive my ballot?

UK Engage, the independent organisation administering the vote, will send you an email on Monday 22 July to the email address you supplied during the registration process.

You will only be able to vote on Tuesday 23 July when the chair of the meeting declares the vote open.

If you have not received an email from UK Engage with your unique security code (USC) by 10am on Tuesday 23 July, check your spam folder and then contact [email protected].