Family Law Accreditation Scheme – Advanced
Scheme membership
Only solicitors and legal executives who successfully complete the SRA's exacting accreditation process are permitted to join the scheme as advanced members.
Family Law Accreditation Scheme members themselves should consider using advanced scheme members to handle cases that may be beyond their expertise.
Advanced scheme members have successfully completed assessments in two of the following areas of family law:
- children law private
- child abduction and wardship
- cohabitation
- violence in the home
- limited means cases
- advice in and conduct of ancillary relief proceedings
- complex asset cases
All Family Law Accreditation Scheme members—including advanced members—are expected to abide by the Law Society's Family Law Protocol.
Applying for advanced membership
Before you apply for advanced membership, you and your firm should carefully weigh up the requisite investment of time and effort to achieve it.
The process of gaining advanced membership is demanding. An advanced member of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme must achieve and constantly maintain the level of knowledge and expertise in family law that is expected of all scheme members; in addition, he or she must achieve and maintain expertise in specialist areas. Advanced members are therefore committed to undertaking extensive, appropriate training activities.
A major benefit of advanced membership is that the Legal Services Commission pays advanced members special rates for publicly funded cases.
Advanced membership of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme will usually be valid for an initial period of five years; advanced members will normally be subject to re-accreditation at the end of the period. However, a re-accreditation process is not yet in place. We plan to decide what form re-accreditation will take and publish full details in 2008. Advanced memberships will remain vaild until the re-accreditation process is decided.
All applicants for advanced membership of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme must
- have a minimum of five years' experience as solicitors or legal executives,
- be members of the SRA's Family Law Accreditation Scheme, and
- undertake a minimum number of hours of general and specialist family law work per year.
If you are interested in becoming an advanced member of the scheme, please download
- the Professional accreditation schemes application criteria and guidance notes (PDF 80K), and
- the Family Law Accreditation Scheme – Advanced guidance notes (PDF 48K).
The documents above contain comprehensive information about applying for advanced membership.
To learn more about the standards advanced members must meet, download the knowledge and skills criteria (PDF 37K).
We run two assessment rounds for advanced membership each year. If, after reading the information here, you wish to apply, please register your interest with us. To do so, please
- telephone the SRA's contact centre on 0807 606 2555, or
- email us.
We will then send you the forms, assessment timetables and information that you will need in order to apply.
Useful links
Resolution—first for family law
More than 5,000 solicitors belong to Resolution—first for family law (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association, or SFLA). Resolution members are committed to promoting a non-confrontational atmosphere in which family law matters are dealt with in a sensitive, constructive and cost-effective way.
The SRA operates a dedicated website for scheme members, providing secure access to the Family Law Accreditation Scheme Advanced logo.
Download or order the latest version of the Law Society's Family Law Protocol.
Continuing professional development
The SRA requires all advanced members of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme to familiarise themselves with changes in law, practice and procedure in family law generally and in their areas of specialisation—by undertaking at least six hours of continuing professional development (CPD) training during each year of their period of scheme membership.
As part of the re-accreditation process, we require scheme members to provide details of CPD training they have completed during the period of their membership.
Family Law Protocol
What is the Family Law Protocol?
The protocol was first published in March 2002 by the Law Society's Family Law Committee, with the support of the Solicitors Family Law Association, or SFLA (now Resolution—first for family law), the Lord Chancellor's Department (now the Ministry of Justice) and the Legal Services Commission.
The protocol is intended to
- encourage a constructive and conciliatory approach to the resolution of family disputes,
- encourage the narrowing of the issues in dispute, and the effective and timely resolution of disputes,
- endeavour to minimise any risks to the parties and/or the children and to alert the client to treat safety as a primary concern,
- have regard to the interests of the children and long-term family relationships,
- endeavour to ensure that costs are not unreasonably incurred.
Advanced members of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme are expected to comply with the requirements of the protocol.
Where can I get a copy of the Family Law Protocol?
The Family Law Protocol can be purchased or downloaded free of charge from the Law Society.
Family law newsletter
The Law Society's Family Law Committee publishes a newsletter on family law and related issues—Family Law News. The newsletter is available to all family lawyers free of charge.