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Message from chief
There are a number of controversial issues being discussed at the moment . Whilst it doesn ’ t rank alongside Brexit negotiations and the prospect of a state visit by an allegedly racist US President , the issue of how Solicitors should be trained , and how they should be assessed at the point of qualification , has created some interesting debate in legal circles recently , and goes to the heart of what it means to be a Solicitor , and the trust that the public places in that title .
Research directed at consumers of legal services consistently indicates that what the public rely on , when considering how they access legal services , and then choosing to use a Solicitor , is not so much the added protection that comes with that title , such as the significant insurance we hold , or access to the Compensation Fund , but the perceived expertise and special knowledge that comes from the training that Solicitors have to undertake in order to qualify .
Is that perception accurate ? Is the training for Solicitors of such a high level that specialist knowledge and skills can be guaranteed ? As the current system stands , my answer to that is Probably Not , which ( given that I am a Solicitor and work in a law firm owned by Solicitors ) may come as something of a surprise .
My reason for saying it , however , is because there are changes to the training for Solicitors that are currently being discussed , which if implemented , are in my opinion going to represent a level of progress that hopefully will satisfy everyone that all Solicitors have met the expected level of knowledge and skill , and lead to higher standards for the profession as a whole .
So what is the current system and why does it need to be changed ? First of all , it may come as something
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