It is vitally important that the legal profession is well regulated at a time when increasing numbers of students are seeking to study law, the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, said last night.
Addressing the Law Society's annual dinner in Dublin, Ms Hanafin also warned that self-regulation had to deliver the "highest standards of professional integrity for the protection of clients."
Students applying for a "hugely rewarding" career path in the legal profession faced risks if they did not work within the structures that dictate their professionalism and standards, she added.
The profession continues to attract those students who gain in the region of 500 points - or the top 10 per cent of students, she also noted.
"This year over 2,500 Leaving Certificate students have chosen law as their first preference third level college course. It is an increasingly popular choice for students, with nearly 13,000 expressing it as a preference in their CAO application," she said.
"It is vitally important that the profession is well regulated. Self-regulation has to deliver the highest standards of professional integrity for the protection of clients.
"While other professionals may work in large organisations such as in academic or health sectors, very often legal professionals work as sole practitioners. Therefore it is all the more important that they have the support and structures to ensure that they are acting in accordance with best practice."
Ms Hanafin was fulfilling one of her first public engagement since her reappointment as Minister for Education and Science.