16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys |
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| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Activity sectors | Law |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Interpersonal skills, analytical mind, critical thinking, commercial sense |
| Education required | Legal Practice Course (and possibly Common Professional Examination) |
In the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong and certain other English common law jurisdictions, a trainee solicitor is a prospective lawyer undergoing professional training at a law firm to qualify as a full-fledged solicitor. This period of training is known as a training contract and usually lasts for two years.
The barrister's equivalent would be twelve months' pupillage under a pupilmaster, in barristers' chambers.
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Before they are eligible to train, the trainee must first have an undergraduate degree in law, or another degree and later taken a conversion course (i.e. the Common Professional Examination), and then completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC).
On successful completion of the training contract, the trainee will qualify and be admitted as a solicitor.
Trainee solicitors and training contracts were formerly known as articled clerks and articles of clerkship, respectively.
In Scotland the system is similar to that in England and Wales. In order to become a trainee solicitor, the student must complete a undergraduate degree in law, or complete the Law Society of Scotland examinations, before undertaking a one year Diploma in Legal Practice. This qualifies the graduate for a Training Certificate. On receipt of the training certificate, the graduate will begin a two year legal traineeship with a law firm in Scotland. During this two year period, the trainee must attend a Professional Competency Course, where core subjects and electives will be assessed. On successful completion of the traineeship, the trainee will be eligible for a Practising Certificate.
In Hong Kong, the route is generally identical to that in England and Wales (above), save with the substitution of the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws for the LPC.