Firms can recruit trainees from second year of university onwards, following recruitment code change

The Voluntary Code of Practice for the Recruitment of Trainee Solicitors has been changed to allow firms to recruit trainees from the second year of university onwards. Meanwhile, the Law Society has replaced the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as a signatory of the code, following the regulator’s withdrawal earlier this year.

Before this change, firms choosing to follow the code were prohibited from offering training contracts to students before their final undergraduate year. Some firms had always ignored the code, but from September, all firms will be able to recruit candidates in their second year of a three-year course, or third year of a four-year course. The code still does not force to students to accept or decline any offers before 15 September of their final year, while firms are barred from pressuring them into doing so. However, these rules are unenforceable, and whether firms will obey them remains to be seen.

The change was instigated by the SRA’s withdrawal from the code, which prompted the three main signatories – the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD), the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services and the Association of Graduate Recruiters to analyse the value of the code in regulating current recruitment practices. After in-depth discussions between the three original signatories and new signatory, the Law Society, it was decided that the code needed to be updated.

Max Harris, chair of the JLD, said: "We found that there was widespread support for a code which offers best practice guidance on recruitment for trainee solicitors. However, it was clear from the evidence that the code, as previously written, was out of date and no longer reflected modern recruitment practices. After detailed discussions, we are pleased to announce that a revised Code has been agreed between the signatories."