Your responsibilities

You can only qualify through this route if you meet our transitional requirements.

If you do not meet these, you will need to qualify under the SQE.

You have a responsibility to understand and comply with our regulations. There are two different sets of regulations depending on when your training started:

  • If you started your period of recognised training on or before 24 November 2019, you need to meet the requirements within the SRA Training Regulations 2014. This means you need to gain experience in at least three distinct areas of English and Welsh law (often known as seats). This needs to include both contentious and non-contentious work.
  • If you started on or after 25 November 2019, you have to meet the requirements of the Authorisation of Individuals Regulations 2019 and the Education, Training and Assessment Provider Regulations 2019. This means you should work in various areas of law, but this doesn’t have to be in three distinct areas. It must include contentious work though.

Keeping a record of your training

You also should be proactive and take responsibility for your own personal and professional development and the direction of your training. For example, during your training you need to keep a record of:

  • the work you have done
  • the skills you have gained
  • your reflections on what you have learnt.

The record also needs to be verified by your supervisor(s). It is important that you maintain a clear record, as we may ask to review it and use it as evidence that you have met our standards. There is not a prescribed format for the training record but you can download a sample training record form.