Training Contracts - The BasicsTRAINING CONTRACTS - THE BASICS
What do I need to know?
What’s the training contract?
The training contract is a period of practice-based training that’s tailor made for graduates who wish to qualify as a solicitor; non-graduates also may be required to complete the training contract.
Trainee solicitors gain practical experience in law, and learn to apply a range of skills, through working in a law practice or legal department.
Trainee solicitors are paid a salary.
The period of practice-based training you’ll need to complete depends on whether you work full time or part time. It ranges from two years of full-time work (five days per week) to four years of part-time work (two and a half days per week).
What do trainee solicitors do?
As a trainee solicitor, you’ll work in a legal environment such as a firm of solicitors, in-house legal department of a local authority or company, the Crown Prosecution Service or the Magistrates Courts Service.
You will gain practical experience of at least three areas of English law, such as personal injury law, conveyancing, company law, environmental law or criminal litigation.
You will develop your skills through working on clients’ cases. As a trainee solicitor, you’ll be closely supervised ; your work will be regularly reviewed. You will deal with clients and learn to handle your own cases.
Appraisals are used to assess your performance.
Trainees have well-defined responsibilities and obligations.
The training contract record tracks practical experience and skills that trainees acquire.
The Professional Skills Course is undertaken by all trainees.
Check out our Training Contract page. This answers questions concenring the contract raised by trainees, but will give an indication of the way the contract works in practice.
Who is the training contract for?
The training contract is compulsory if you have a degree.
Law graduates complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and a training contract.
Non-law graduates complete the Common Professional Examination (CPE), also known as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), the LPC and a training contract.
Who can give me a training contract?
Only an organisation authorised by the Law Society as a training establishment can give you a training contract.
Most training contracts are with solicitors’ firms, but in-house legal departments, local and central government, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Magistrates Court Service also offer training contracts.
Finding a training contract can sometimes prove difficult. If you are looking for a training contract, you should think carefully about the type of work and work-place you would prefer. The Law Society recommends that you begin applying for training posts in the second year of your undergraduate studies.
You are also advised to read carefully the guidance for students included in the Voluntary Code to good practice in the recruitment of trainee solicitors, which has been agreed by the Law Society and the following organisations:
Looking for a training contract can be a daunting experience. It can take some time, and is very competitive. Assistance can be gained fromvarious places - the TSG can provide guidance of to where to look. We also have guidance for those who have been offered interviews with firms - click here.
What do I need to sign?
At the start of your training, you and your training establishment sign a training contract that sets out your obligations (PDF 117K) and the type of training you will receive. You must also obtain student membership of the Law Society. The TSG provides guidance on how to do this here.
There are three standard forms of the training contract, all of which are prescribed by the Law Society in its capacity as regulator of the solicitors’ profession.
Trainees and training establishments must choose among the three options:
1 The full-time training contract is for those who will work full time. It is for a period of two years. Only graduates who have completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) may enter into a full-time training contract.
2 The part-time training contract is for those who will work part time. Trainees must work at least two and a half days per week, and the contract must be completed within four years of its start date. Only graduates who have completed the LPC may enter into a part-time training contract.
3 The part-time study training contract is for those who combine part-time study of the LPC and/or the CPE/GDL with the training contract. Each part-time study training contract is usually for a two-year period and counts as one year toward the completion of the mandatory two-year practice-based-training period.
Does everyone need a training contract?
Those who do not have a degree can qualify as solicitors by becoming a fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX).
Barristers and foreign lawyers can transfer to the roll of solicitors of England and Wales under the regulations that govern the process of qualifying from outside England and Wales; they may need to enter into a training contract.
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