SRA approves changes to training regs and competency requirements

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has approved changes to its training regulations as part of both its Training for Tomorrow programme and Red Tape Initiative. The Legal Services Board (LSB) will need to approve changes before they are implemented on 1 July.

The changes include the following:

• Students are no longer required to enrol with the SRA prior to starting their LPC, nor are they required to pay £80 to do so.
• A more proportionate response to the regulation of pre-admission education and training will be introduced, which takes into account developments in employment law and the regulation carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
• The character and suitability check is retained in relation to those seeking to qualify, and a new requirement to disclose any issues before training commences is introduced.

Julie Brannan, director of education and training, said: "We have taken the decision to remove complex and bureaucratic arrangements, which do not assure quality or promote standards. The changes will not alter the substance of our qualification requirements, but they will result in regulations which are more streamlined and which will enable us to focus on the essentials of our education and training framework."

The SRA has also announced a new approach to ensuring that solicitors remain competent throughout their careers, while also removing the necessity for them to complete a compulsory 16 hours' training per year. Again, the decision is subject to approval by the LSB. The new approach will be phased in from Spring 2015 and fully introduced by November 2016.