The move is being considered in response to the removal in March 2023 of a tax break which allowed Council members to claim an annual expense allowance (AEA) worth around £1,640.

The Law Society currently covers Council members’ expenses, but will now vote on whether to go further and make a payment through the Society’s payroll, the Law Society Gazette reports.

In July, the Law Society Council endorsed a report from a working group which found that junior and in-house lawyers were reluctant to stand for election to Council “without some form of financial compensation”.

If the AGM motion is passed next month, Council members will be eligible for an uprated sum equivalent to the former AEA, amounting to £2,050 each, though the sum could be subsequently revised by the Law Society Board’s people and remuneration committee.

Council members would also be offered a one-off retrospective payment to compensate them for the absence of the AEA since March 2023, with an estimated cost to the Council of nearly £500,000 if all members accept it.

The proposals only cover Council members, excluding members of Law Society committees, who were also previously eligible for the AEA.

A spokesperson for the Law Society said: “The Law Society’s Council has proposed a new system of a nominal allowance to Council members that replaces the previous one.

“This new system will be presented for ratification by the Law Society’s members at the upcoming annual general meeting (AGM) on 9 October 2024.”