A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions is an association of solicitors (effectively the trade organisation for solicitors) which has a regulatory role which includes the right to supervise the training and qualifications of lawyers/solicitors. Where there is a distinction between barristers and solicitors, solicitors are regulated by the Law Society and barristers by a separate Bar council. (In Scotland barristers are called Advocates and are members of and regulated by the Faculty of Advocates.)
In the United States, unified bar associations are somewhat similar to Law Societies, however there are differences between law societies and the general American phenomenon of bar associations. Usually a bar association is just an association of lawyers; lawyers may or may not join if they do not wish. Law societies are often created by legislation and play significant direct roles in the training, licensing and disciplining of lawyers, the latter giving rise to issues of conflict of interest (see Legal Complaints Service). They may have primarily a commercial focus, or be university-based, such as the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, and The Society of Legal Scholars.
Law Societies may also be of philanthropic nature offering paid and unpaid legal assistance to the public or specific target audiences in pursuit of social justice.
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