Julie Brannan explains the SRA’s new approach to continuing competence
From 1 November 2016, we introduced a new regime for making sure solicitors in England and Wales keep their skills sharp and their knowledge up to date.
The old, “attend 16 hours of training” model is out. Now, all solicitors have to think about is:
- whether their work is good enough;
- identifying any areas where they could do better; and
- addressing any weaknesses so they continue to deliver a proper standard of service.
We introduced this new approach to training and education to make sure that people get the best standard of service from solicitors. That standard is laid out in the Solicitors’ Competence Statement, which was published in April 2015. It sets out the skills we expect from those within the profession—not just for admission, but throughout their career.
The best way for solicitors to remain competent is by focusing learning and development on what really matters, rather than meeting our requirement to complete an arbitrary number of hours training. Completing the 16 hours did not guarantee competence; it guaranteed
