a) Describe the education and training of solicitor
b) Assess how well it prepares them for the work they do
a) There are two main types of lawyer in England and Wales-barristers and solicitors. They are
differentiated through the different work they do and the different training process they go
through.
Any aspiring solicitor must first ensure that he/she achieves the requisite qualification. The most
common route to becoming a solicitor involves completing a bachelors in law( LLB) with at least
a 2:1. Graduates with a non law degree can also be on the same standing as those with an LLB if
they complete a one year Graduate diploma in law( GDL) which is essentially training in core
subjects. In addition, a candidate might opt to become a fellow of the chartered institute of legal
executives by passing the exams set by the institute including the professional diploma in law
and the professional higher diploma in law( PHDL) after which they have to work in a legal
organization for a period of five years.
Once a student has acquired either the LLB , the GDL or is a fellow of the chartered institute of
legal executives, the next step in the past was to complete the Legal Practice Course( LPC). This
course includes training in skills such as client interviewing, negotiation, advocacy, drafting
documents and legal research. It also includes training in business management and keeping of
accounts. Although the LPC is a one year course, it can be completed part time over a span of
two years as well.
Following this academic training, the student must complete a two-year practical training called
a training contract, during which the trainee will get paid and will work under supervision. In
addition, a professional skills course has to be completed, under which there is a compulsory
element of 48 hours of tuition with assessments and an elective element that involves a further
24 hours of tuition. After the training contract and the professional skills course is completed,
the trainee will be added to the roll of solicitors maintained by the law society. However, the
solicitor is expected to still attend continuing professional development courses to keep their
knowledge up to date. This is an hour based scheme which is monitored by their employers.
While the above routes to becoming a solicitor continue to run, it is expected that the LPC will
eventually be replaced by the Solicitors Qualifying Examination( SQE) which was introduced in
2021 to run alongside the routes described above. The SQE requires candidates to complete two
examinations (SQE 1 and SQE 2) and they must also complete two years of qualifying work
experience(QWE). This work experience requirement can be completed at up to 4 different legal
organisations.
Thus. the aspiring solicitor must go through a series of training requirements outlined above
before being admitted to the roll .
b) The training process of solicitors is extensive. This ensures that solicitors are effectively trained
for the future responsibilities they would have to take as part of the profession. Although the
, training requirements are a significant barrier to entry to the profession, it is focused on
preparing aspiring solicitors for the work. Recent reforms have enhanced the quality of the
training, ensuring it is more well-rounded.
The fact that aspiring solicitors must usually get a 2:1 on their LLB ensures that the candidate has
the basic intellectual capacity, language and evaluative skills to tackle the drafting they have to
do in the future. Although this is a significant barrier to students who might not achieve such
grades, it is asserted that a high standard of academic excellence is highly beneficial to ensure
the solicitors are of worthy calibre.
The GDL is also an effective way to incorporate a wider skill set into the legal profession. Having
completed another degree before the GDL ensures that the candidates eventually becoming
solicitors are more knowledgeable and possess diverse skills. However, in terms of legal
education, some argue that the existence of the GDL compromises the training process since a
candidate might qualify to be a solicitor having studied only core subjects. This may be
comparable to a doctor who has been exempted from learning about one particular organ in the
body during the MBBS. This might be seen as a short-cut and not adequately preparing
candidates for the work they are to do in the future.
The Legal Practice Course or the SQE is perhaps the most significant part of the training of a
solicitor. The training is particularly geared towards the work solicitors do so this effectively
prepares them for their role. The fact that the LPC can be a two-year part time course not only
reduces the barriers to entry for candidates, it also enhances the standard of training since most
candidates work as paralegals whilst pursuing the two year LPC. This allows for skill development
particularly in legal research, which is a very important aspect of the work solicitors do. In
addition, the training contract allows solicitors to learn on the job and implement practically the
content they learnt in theory as part of their academic training. Although legal executives who
wish to become solicitors are exempt from the training contract, the 5 year work experience
they have compensates for this and brings them on par with the rest of the candidates. In
addition, the practical skills course is advantageous for the same reasons especially because
there is a mandatory hour requirement that candidates must satisfy which ensures that they
have invested adequate time in training.
With the introduction of the SQE examinations, the training process has become even better
since the examinations are standardized by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority with the same
amount of work experience required as a pre- requisite. This mitigates the problem of different
students sitting a different set of exams provided by various service providers. Thus, there is
most definitely more consistency in the training requirements with the new reforms which will
be beneficial in the long run since the syllabus can constantly develop to suit the needs of clients
who recruit solicitors for their legal issues. In addition, the fact that the work experience can be
completed at different institutions mitigates the problem of a candidate being unsuccessful in
his/her application for a training contract. The new training procedure is more flexible as after
having completed the SQE 1, a candidate can immediately start the recommended work
experience before proceeding to the SQE 2. The jobs which count as qualifying work experience
b) Assess how well it prepares them for the work they do
a) There are two main types of lawyer in England and Wales-barristers and solicitors. They are
differentiated through the different work they do and the different training process they go
through.
Any aspiring solicitor must first ensure that he/she achieves the requisite qualification. The most
common route to becoming a solicitor involves completing a bachelors in law( LLB) with at least
a 2:1. Graduates with a non law degree can also be on the same standing as those with an LLB if
they complete a one year Graduate diploma in law( GDL) which is essentially training in core
subjects. In addition, a candidate might opt to become a fellow of the chartered institute of legal
executives by passing the exams set by the institute including the professional diploma in law
and the professional higher diploma in law( PHDL) after which they have to work in a legal
organization for a period of five years.
Once a student has acquired either the LLB , the GDL or is a fellow of the chartered institute of
legal executives, the next step in the past was to complete the Legal Practice Course( LPC). This
course includes training in skills such as client interviewing, negotiation, advocacy, drafting
documents and legal research. It also includes training in business management and keeping of
accounts. Although the LPC is a one year course, it can be completed part time over a span of
two years as well.
Following this academic training, the student must complete a two-year practical training called
a training contract, during which the trainee will get paid and will work under supervision. In
addition, a professional skills course has to be completed, under which there is a compulsory
element of 48 hours of tuition with assessments and an elective element that involves a further
24 hours of tuition. After the training contract and the professional skills course is completed,
the trainee will be added to the roll of solicitors maintained by the law society. However, the
solicitor is expected to still attend continuing professional development courses to keep their
knowledge up to date. This is an hour based scheme which is monitored by their employers.
While the above routes to becoming a solicitor continue to run, it is expected that the LPC will
eventually be replaced by the Solicitors Qualifying Examination( SQE) which was introduced in
2021 to run alongside the routes described above. The SQE requires candidates to complete two
examinations (SQE 1 and SQE 2) and they must also complete two years of qualifying work
experience(QWE). This work experience requirement can be completed at up to 4 different legal
organisations.
Thus. the aspiring solicitor must go through a series of training requirements outlined above
before being admitted to the roll .
b) The training process of solicitors is extensive. This ensures that solicitors are effectively trained
for the future responsibilities they would have to take as part of the profession. Although the
, training requirements are a significant barrier to entry to the profession, it is focused on
preparing aspiring solicitors for the work. Recent reforms have enhanced the quality of the
training, ensuring it is more well-rounded.
The fact that aspiring solicitors must usually get a 2:1 on their LLB ensures that the candidate has
the basic intellectual capacity, language and evaluative skills to tackle the drafting they have to
do in the future. Although this is a significant barrier to students who might not achieve such
grades, it is asserted that a high standard of academic excellence is highly beneficial to ensure
the solicitors are of worthy calibre.
The GDL is also an effective way to incorporate a wider skill set into the legal profession. Having
completed another degree before the GDL ensures that the candidates eventually becoming
solicitors are more knowledgeable and possess diverse skills. However, in terms of legal
education, some argue that the existence of the GDL compromises the training process since a
candidate might qualify to be a solicitor having studied only core subjects. This may be
comparable to a doctor who has been exempted from learning about one particular organ in the
body during the MBBS. This might be seen as a short-cut and not adequately preparing
candidates for the work they are to do in the future.
The Legal Practice Course or the SQE is perhaps the most significant part of the training of a
solicitor. The training is particularly geared towards the work solicitors do so this effectively
prepares them for their role. The fact that the LPC can be a two-year part time course not only
reduces the barriers to entry for candidates, it also enhances the standard of training since most
candidates work as paralegals whilst pursuing the two year LPC. This allows for skill development
particularly in legal research, which is a very important aspect of the work solicitors do. In
addition, the training contract allows solicitors to learn on the job and implement practically the
content they learnt in theory as part of their academic training. Although legal executives who
wish to become solicitors are exempt from the training contract, the 5 year work experience
they have compensates for this and brings them on par with the rest of the candidates. In
addition, the practical skills course is advantageous for the same reasons especially because
there is a mandatory hour requirement that candidates must satisfy which ensures that they
have invested adequate time in training.
With the introduction of the SQE examinations, the training process has become even better
since the examinations are standardized by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority with the same
amount of work experience required as a pre- requisite. This mitigates the problem of different
students sitting a different set of exams provided by various service providers. Thus, there is
most definitely more consistency in the training requirements with the new reforms which will
be beneficial in the long run since the syllabus can constantly develop to suit the needs of clients
who recruit solicitors for their legal issues. In addition, the fact that the work experience can be
completed at different institutions mitigates the problem of a candidate being unsuccessful in
his/her application for a training contract. The new training procedure is more flexible as after
having completed the SQE 1, a candidate can immediately start the recommended work
experience before proceeding to the SQE 2. The jobs which count as qualifying work experience
