Gowling WLG and Fieldfisher to train solicitor apprentices as ULaw forges new paths to profession

Gowling WLG and Fieldfisher to train solicitor apprentices as ULaw forges new paths to profession

Gowling WLG and Fieldfisher are to begin training solicitor apprentices with the University of Law (ULaw) as part of a training course designed to create new pathways to becoming a qualified lawyer.

The new course from ULaw, which officially launched on 25 September, will see 28 apprentices this autumn begin the six-year process in a programme aimed at encouraging a wider pool of candidates to enter the profession.

Continue reading “Gowling WLG and Fieldfisher to train solicitor apprentices as ULaw forges new paths to profession”

RPC partners exclusively with University of Law ahead of SQE launch

Future RPC trainees will attend courses exclusively at the University of Law (ULaw) from September 2017, after the insurance firm switched to the training provider to prepare its professional courses in advance of the controversial new Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE).

From this September until 2020, trainees at the firm will be required to complete the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), Legal Practice Course (LPC) and an MSc in Law, Business and Management at the university’s Moorgate centre as sole provider, in a partnership RPC training principal Simon Hart described as the firm’s response to the ‘forthcoming radical reforms to legal education’, having previously worked with another group.  Continue reading “RPC partners exclusively with University of Law ahead of SQE launch”

Fieldfisher advises SRA on outsourcing contract for delivering new super-exam

Fieldfisher advises SRA on outsourcing contract for delivering new super-exam

Fieldfisher is advising the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on the contractual agreements for the provider which will eventually assist the SRA in delivering the new Solicitors Qualification Examination (SQE), also known as ‘the super-exam.’

Continue reading “Fieldfisher advises SRA on outsourcing contract for delivering new super-exam”

Education: not broke, fat chance of a fix

Education: not broke, fat chance of a fix

Forget the casual observer, even some keen observers are bemused by the current passion for reforming legal education displayed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) with plans to tear up the framework for legal training.

The gist of the proposals is to create a central, two-stage assessment regime to become a solicitor, which will in theory end the need for a legal practice course or training contract, where candidates would demonstrate their skills after two years of relevant work experience.

Continue reading “Education: not broke, fat chance of a fix”

‘A bit like Brexit’: SRA super-exam draws strong reaction but is it knee-jerk resistance to change?

‘A bit like Brexit’: SRA super-exam draws strong reaction but is it knee-jerk resistance to change?

Kathryn McCann assesses the regulator’s controversial new route to qualification

In April, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced that its planned Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), also known as ‘the super-exam’, would be in place by 2020 following two formal consultations. This is despite garnering considerable, but not unexpected, criticism from the profession and education providers alike.

Continue reading “‘A bit like Brexit’: SRA super-exam draws strong reaction but is it knee-jerk resistance to change?”

‘Embrace the challenge and make it work’: Educators react as SRA confirms super-exams to start in 2020

‘Embrace the challenge and make it work’: Educators react as SRA confirms super-exams to start in 2020

In spite of considerable hostility from the profession and legal education providers, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced today (25 April) that its planned Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), dubbed ‘the super exam’, is going ahead. Continue reading “‘Embrace the challenge and make it work’: Educators react as SRA confirms super-exams to start in 2020”

‘Misleading’: ULaw told to remove ads claiming it is the UK’s leading law school

The University of Law (ULaw) has been told by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) it can no longer call itself UK’s leading law school in advertisements, nor claim that its graduates can expect to earn £54,000 a year. Continue reading “‘Misleading’: ULaw told to remove ads claiming it is the UK’s leading law school”