Plans for a different route to qualifying as a solicitor in England & Wales
September 04, 2015
Amongst other things, these plans are going to allow a route for non-graduates to qualify as a solicitor. I imagine BigLaw will be unlikely to recruit non-graduates and deploy that route but it is to be welcomed as a practical way forward which could possibly increase diversity in the solicitors profession.
Access for non-graduates isn’t new, however. Prior to around 1975, five year Articles of Clerkship (renamed the Training Contract) existed as a route for non-graduates. So perhaps this isn’t quite so trailblazing as suggested!
The government has published the new assessment plans and standards for its ‘Trailblazer’ legal apprenticeships for qualification as a legal executive, paralegal or solicitor, with oral and written tests sitting alongside workplace assessment.
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