Just three new trainee solicitors in Donegal last year - Donegal Daily

In 2025, there were just three new trainee solicitors in Donegal.Figures presented by the Law Society of Ireland show that of a total of 581 PPC (Professional P...

In 2025, there were just three new trainee solicitors in Donegal.

Figures presented by the Law Society of Ireland show that of a total of 581 PPC (Professional Practice Course) trainee solicitors with contracts in Ireland last year, just three were based in Donegal.

Elsewhere, there were two in Sligo, one in Leitrim, two in Cavan and one in Monaghan.

Trainee solicitors are required to have two years of in-office training before entering the Roll of Solicitors.

There were a total of 148 practising solicitors in Co Donegal last year - out of a total of 12,961 nationwide.

This was a 100% increase on the number of practitioners since 2000.

Of these practitioners, 27% now work in-house, comprising 2,911 solicitors working in-house in the private sector and 531 solicitors working in-house with State or public bodies.

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In addition, 781 newly qualified solicitors were added to the Roll of Solicitors, of which 583 came into practice in 2025.

However, the Law Society said: “Across much of rural Ireland, solicitor numbers remain very low relative to population.

“These are the conditions in which legal deserts take hold. Safeguarding access to community-based legal services is a priority for the Law Society, and essential for access to justice.”

The Law Society said that its Small Practice Traineeship Grant is designed to address this by supporting small and rural firms to take on trainees in the communities that need them most.

A total of 32 grants have been issued since its introduction in 2020.

The Law Society said: “Combined with the Access Scholarship, early schools outreach, the hybrid PPC, and the forthcoming apprenticeship route, it forms part of a broader effort to ensure that the profession's growth is not only sustained but more evenly accessible.”