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Training in Northern Ireland

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Undergraduate study
Law degrees are offered at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. However, law degrees from a number of other institutions in England, Wales and Ireland are also accepted as qualifying law degrees for the purposes of passing to the next stage - apprenticeship.

Non-law graduates must complete a two-year master's in legal science at QUB before they can progress to their apprenticeship.

Vocational study/training
Solicitors
The vocational study and practical training aspects that are found separately in England, Wales and Scotland are combined in Northern Ireland. Trainee solicitors must undertake a two-year apprenticeship under a supervising solicitor, called a ‘master’. The practical component comes first, with a four-month period of office-based training. This is followed by one year studying for the Certificate of Professional Studies at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at QUB or the Graduate School of Professional Legal Education at the University of Ulster. This is then followed by a further eight months of office-based work.

Yvonne Blackstock at the Law Society of Northern Ireland says: “Under the reciprocal arrangement this society has with the Law Society of England and Wales, English-qualified solicitors may transfer to Northern Ireland without having to take any further qualifications or examinations. The procedure is simply to complete an application form, supply proofs asked for in the form and pay a fee of £150.”

However, Scottish solicitors are required to take further examinations and complete a period of apprenticeship before they can be admitted in Northern Ireland.

Barristers
Trainee barristers must undertake the one year, full-time Degree of Barrister-at-Law at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at QUB. They are then called to the Bar, but before they can practise, they must enter into one year of pupillage with a practising barrister of not less than seven years’ standing.

For more details see www.lawsoc-ni.org and www.barlibrary.com.