About the ILS

The Industrial Law Society was founded in 1964 as an organisation where both sides of industry and all those involved in employment law can meet regularly and informally to exchange views.

The Society is a registered charity. It aims to promote the understanding of labour law and industrial relations and to stimulate debate in these fields. Our members are lawyers, academics, HR and personnel practitioners, trade union officials and members, judges, journalists and civil servants. Companies, trade unions and educational establishments are corporate members.

The Society is run by a committee and officers elected annually by the members (full details here). The Society’s principal activities are: A programme of evening meetings ; an annual weekend conference in Oxford or Cambridge and occasional Academic Seminars and yearly meetings with other societies.

All of the Society’s meetings and conferences carry accreditation by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and Bar Standards Board for continuing professional development . (See our current events page(s) and publications section).

Membership runs on a calendar year (from January to December) irrespective of when you join.

Membership includes free admission to any of the Society’s evening meetings (Corporate members may send up to 10 people to these meetings for free). Copies of the Industrial Law Journal which is published in March, June, September and December are also sent free to members.

Workshops, debates and lectures given by all sides of industry at significant discounts.

To join on-line Individual membership is only £80; Full-time student members and unwaged is £30; and corporate membership £160 for voluntary not for profit organisations, £190 for Trade union and Employers organisations and £360 for all other firms and organisations.

A nominal fee of £7 is payable to become an affiliated member of the International Society for Labour Law and Social Security. Please note we are only able process visa/debit payments made on-line.

If you wish to pay for membership by cheque please request an application form from the Society’s co-ordinator Jean Hughes by telephone on 01787 463838 or by email jean@industriallawsociety.org.uk. The membership year runs from January to December.

Do please contact us if we can answer any questions about membership of the Society.