The Solicitors Regulation Authority
You may also demonstrate that you have met the requirements of the period of recognised training through equivalent means (see the SRA website).
the QLD, GDL or LPC. Instead, candidates will be free to do the training they need to prepare themselves for the SQE. The SQE will consist of two stages. Stage one will primarily test functioning legal knowledge; stage two will test practical legal skills. The SRA will not specify when the tests need to be taken, but it is likely many candidates will take SQE stage one at or shortly after they complete their law degree. The SRA anticipates that candidates will need to complete a substantial period of legal work experience in order to be able to pass stage two (the skills test). There will continue to be a requirement for two years’ work experience before admission. However, the SRA will recognise a wider range of legal work experience, not just formal training contracts, but also working as a paralegal or in a student law clinic, provided that the experience gives a candidate the opportunity to develop the competencies required for practice as a solicitor. These are set out in the Competence Statement for Solicitors, which the SRA published in 2015. The SRA consulted on transitional arrangements in Autumn 2017. Anyone who has started a QLD or GDL before the SQE is introduced will have the choice about whether to qualify under the existing route to qualification, or to qualify under the SQE. More information about the SQE can be found on the SRA’s website at //www.sra. org.uk/t4t. Further information For more details, please visit www.sra.org. uk/students and www.sra.org.uk/trainees. If you need to talk to someone, call the SRA’s contact centre on 0370 606 2555 or email contactcentre@sra.org.uk. This information is supplied by the SRA.
You need to notify us of the commencement of your period of recognised training.
Admission to the roll Approximately 10 weeks before the end of your training, the SRA will contact you to complete a declaration agreeing to screening checks. This includes financial and identity checks plus a Standard Disclosure from the DBS. The fee for this is £42. Eight weeks before the end of your training, you will be sent an application for admission. There are two admission dates each month and applications must be received at least 28 days before the date on which you wish to be admitted (see www.sra.org.uk/trainees/ admission/admission.page). Once admitted, solicitors are under a professional duty to make sure they can offer a proper standard of service to their clients. They must therefore make sure they stay up to date and are competent to practise in their particular field of work. To make sure they meet this requirement, solicitors are required to reflect on the quality of their work, and address any learning needs they identify through appropriate training and development. Changes ahead In April 2017 the SRA announced that it would introduce a new national licensing exam for intending solicitors – the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). The target date for the introduction of the SQE is September 2021. The SRA believes that the SQE will provide a mechanism for all candidates to be assessed on a consistent and fair basis.
Once the SQE is introduced, the SRA will no longer require aspiring solicitors to take
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