The Legal Education and Training Review

1. The Legal Education and Training Review Listening to the profession Helen Davies

2. Background to the LETR The Ormrod Review 1971 The Legal Practice Course 1992 The Legal Services Act 2007 The LETR The first SRA regulated ABS The Legal Services Board’s position The SRA’s role

3. What is a solicitor? What are the essential characteristics?

4. The Academic Stage Do you support the retention of the qualifying law degree? Should changes be made to the qualifying law degree? If so what? Would you support the inclusion of ethics and the law of organisations as additional core subjects?

5. The Vocational Stage (LPC) Should there be a greater degree of shared training with the Bar? If so, would this be best achieved through a modular approach with, for example, advocacy/ mediation/ out of court settlements as electives for either course? What core skills should be included in the vocational stage?

6. The Vocational Stage- work-based learning and the training contract Do you agree with the Law Society’s view that some form of socialised work-based learning is essential prior to qualification? What changes, if any, could be made to improve the current model?

7. Entry Routes into the Profession Do you agree with the Law Society’s view that a common standard for all routes into the profession should be set and maintained by the regulator through quality assurance processes? Do you support the development of alternative routes into the profession? If so which routes and why?

8. Activity based authorisation and regulation (What is a solicitor?) Do you feel the current system is unduly complicated? How could it be simplified? Do you agree with increasing flexibility and transfers within and across the regulated legal professions by having common standards across titles, based on activities? Do you agree that individuals holding protected titles such as “solicitor” have a greater breadth and depth of knowledge of the law and therefore provide a more rounded service than those authorised purely for individual activites?

9. Activity based authorisation and regulation (continued) Are there ways in which activity based qualifications or regulation might assist people to qualify as solicitors? If there were to be an element of activity based regulation, what are the main activities that should be regulated?

10. Mobility within the sector Would you support the development of clearer pathways between professions, with exemptions for prior learning or experience, so long as high standards are met? Are there other areas where lawyers find it difficult to move from one area of work to another? If so how could these be addressed?

11. CPD Would you agree the current CPD system is not fit for purpose? Would you support a system of CPD with plans, objective setting and reporting back, as described in the consultation document? Are there other ways of ensuring solicitors remain up to date (or competent to practice)? If so what do you suggest?

12. And finally… Do you broadly agree with the Law Society’s policies as set out in the consultation document? Is there anything else the Law Society should address in its response? What two things are key to legal education and training for the new legal services market? Please respond to educationandtraining@lawsociety.org.uk Closing date 8 June 2012

13. Other resources Legal Education and Training Review www.letr.org.uk The Law Society www.lawsociety.org.uk The Legal Services Board www.legalservicesboard.org.uk The SRA www.sra.org.uk The Legal Services Institute www.legalservicesinstitute.org.uk