Changes to the SRA’s education and training regulations
updated on 08 July 2014
Dear Oracle
I’ve heard that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is changing some of its education and training regulations - how will these affect me?
The Oracle replies
These changes come in the context of broader regulatory reforms designed to make the SRA’s requirements "more proportionate and targeted and so reduce the cost and burden of regulation". There is good news for students who have not yet enrolled on the Legal Practice Course (LPC); there is no longer a requirement to enrol with the SRA before taking the LPC, which means that the £80 enrolment fee has been scrapped. In addition, the SRA has reduced its LPC payment from £120 to £15. The move has caused some controversy, as some students who planned their studies well in advance have incurred those fees when they could have waited until 1 July, when the changes came into force (possibly pointing to some communication problems in the SRA getting across what the changes would involve). However, the new regime will have some money-saving benefits for anyone looking to take the LPC from now on.
The SRA is also now allowing firms to pay trainees the National Minimum Wage, with this new regulation coming into effect on 1 August. However, this does not mean that all firms will start paying their trainees the National Minimum Wage; although some probably will, it is expected that many will continue to pay their trainees considerably more than this.
In addition, the SRA will no longer stipulate the terms of training contracts, giving firms greater freedom to design their own training programmes.
The SRA has also introduced a new 'equivalent means' test, which allows candidates to seek admission as solicitors if they can demonstrate that they have met the SRA's requirements through other qualifications or experience.
Elsewhere, the SRA is continuing to run its checks for character and suitability, with individuals required to disclose any issues relating to this (such as a criminal conviction) before commencing training. However, students now have the option of applying for a check before they start the LPC, to make sure that they will be eligible to commence training before paying out any course fees.
All the changes have been incorporated into the latest SRA Handbook.
