# Trainee solicitor > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trainee_solicitor > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Trainee_solicitor.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trainee_solicitor > Source revision: 1346514678 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Prospective lawyer undergoing professional training at a law firm Trainee Solicitor 16th-century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys Occupation Occupation type Profession Activity sectors Law Description Competencies Interpersonal skills, literacy, advocacy, analytical mind, critical thinking, commercial sense Education required Law degree / Non-law degree + GDL, Legal Practice Course (and possibly Common Professional Examination) Fields of employment Law firm, government, in-house Related jobs Solicitor, pupil barrister, barrister, judge In the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom), [Australia](/source/Australia), [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong), [Ireland](/source/Ireland), and certain other [English common law](/source/English_common_law) [jurisdictions](/source/Jurisdiction), a **trainee solicitor** is a prospective [lawyer](/source/Lawyer) undergoing professional training at a [law firm](/source/Law_firm) or an in-house legal team to qualify as a full-fledged [solicitor](/source/Solicitor). This period of training is known as a [training contract](/source/Training_contract) and usually lasts for two years. The [barrister](/source/Barrister)'s equivalent would be twelve months' [pupillage](/source/Pupillage) under a [pupilmaster](/source/Pupilmaster), in [barristers' chambers](/source/Barristers'_chambers), or for [advocates](/source/Advocates) in Scotland, eight or nine months [devilling](/source/Devilling) under a [devilmaster](/source/Devilmaster). ## Route ### England and Wales Before they are eligible to train, the trainee must first have an undergraduate [degree in law](/source/L.L.B.), or another degree and later taken a conversion course (i.e. the [Common Professional Examination](/source/Common_Professional_Examination) or Graduate Diploma in Law), and then completed the [Legal Practice Course](/source/Legal_Practice_Course) (LPC).[1] The LPC and the training contract may be taken at the same time part-time.[2] During the training contract, trainees are required to gain practical experience in at least three distinctive areas of law.[3] 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](/source/Articled_clerk) and articles of clerkship, respectively. For trainee solicitors, the [Law Society](/source/Law_Society_of_England_and_Wales) recommend a minimum salary of £22,794 in London and £20,217 outside of London. However, this is not binding owing to the removal of a regulatory minimum salary by the SRA in 2014. Firms are now required to pay no more than the [national minimum wage](/source/National_Minimum_Wage_Regulations_2015). ### Ireland In the [Republic of Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland), the [Law Society of Ireland](/source/Law_Society_of_Ireland) is authorised under the Solicitors Act 1954 to regulate training and accreditation of solicitors. Formally a trainee is termed an **apprentice** and entered on the society's Register of Apprentices after signing a training contract, called an Indentures of Apprenticeship Deed, with a registered solicitor.[4] The society's qualification examinations are a Preliminary Examination, from which holders of approved law degrees are exempt, and a Final Examination (FE-1) in two parts, typically taken over two years. The FE-1 consists of eight exams and the PPC is a one year course conducted by the [Law Society of Ireland](/source/Law_Society_of_Ireland). [5] The Solicitors' Apprentice Debating Society of Ireland (SADSI) participates in [student debate](/source/Student_debate) competitions including the [Irish Times Debate](/source/Irish_Times_Debate).[6] ### Scotland In Scotland the system is similar to that in England and Wales. In order to become a trainee solicitor, the student must complete an undergraduate [degree in law](/source/L.L.B.), or complete the [Law Society of Scotland](/source/Law_Society_of_Scotland) examinations, before undertaking a one-year [Diploma in Legal Practice](/source/Diploma_in_Legal_Practice). This qualifies the graduate to receive an Entrance Certificate and begin a traineeship. Traineeships are obtained through the open job market and there is no guarantee that a graduate will secure one. Between 2008 and 2013, years, 24% of Diploma graduates have not started traineeships.[7] Trainees must complete at least 60 hours of Trainee Continuing Professional Development.[8] After three months, the trainee can apply for admission as a solicitor, allowing them to appear in court. On successful completion of the traineeship, the traineeship is discharged and the trainee will be eligible for a Practising Certificate. ### Work placements Work placements allow students a brief (normally two-week) experience within the working environment of a firm of solicitors. Interested students may find local opportunities through their school's or university's career adviser, or apply direct to the firms of solicitors. Assessed work placements in law firms, which often include a formal interview for a traineeship towards the end of the placement, are also known as vacation schemes. ### Hong Kong In [Hong Kong](/source/Legal_system_of_Hong_Kong), the route is generally identical to that in England and Wales, save with the substitution of the [Postgraduate Certificate in Laws course](/source/Postgraduate_Certificate_in_Laws) for the LPC. ### Canada Each of the provincial and territorial jurisdictions offer similar routes to other [Commonwealth](/source/Commonwealth_of_Nations) jurisdictions, typically by way of [articles](/source/Articled_clerk) or stage. The province of [Ontario](/source/Ontario), for example offers experiential training, by way of articles of clerkship or the Law Practice Program.[9] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["The Lawyer"](https://www.thelawyer.com/). *The Lawyer | Legal insight, benchmarking data and jobs*. June 13, 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Legal Practice Course"](https://www.sra.org.uk/become-solicitor/legal-practice-course-route/lpc/). 25 November 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Becoming a partner"](https://www.lawsociety.org.ukhttps//www.lawsociety.org.uk//en/Career-Advice/Becoming-a-solicitor). *www.lawsociety.org.ukhttps*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Indenture Deed"](https://www.lawsociety.ie/education--cpd/Trainees/In-office-Training/Indenture-Deed). Law Society of Ireland. Retrieved 27 July 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Binchy, Donal G.; Incorporated Law Society of Ireland (18 January 1991). ["S.I. No. 9/1991 - The Solicitors Acts, 1954 and 1960 (Apprenticeship and Education) Regulations, 1991"](https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1991/si/9/made/en/print). *electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)*. Retrieved 27 July 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Blackhall trainees victorious in public-speaking contest"](https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/2023/february/blackhall-trainees-victorious-in-public-speaking-contest). *www.lawsociety.ie*. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Law Society"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224544/http://www.lawscot.org.uk/education-and-careers/studying-law/currently-studying-the-llb-/information-about-traineeship-numbers). Archived from [the original](http://www.lawscot.org.uk/education-and-careers/studying-law/currently-studying-the-llb-/information-about-traineeship-numbers) on December 2, 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Law Society"](http://www.lawscot.org.uk/education-and-careers/the-traineeship/during-your-traineeship). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Experiential Training | Law Society of Ontario"](https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/experiential-training). ## External links - [The Law Society of England & Wales](http://www.lawsociety.org.uk) - [The Solicitors Regulation Authority](http://www.sra.org.uk) - [TraineeSolicitor.co.uk](http://www.traineesolicitor.co.uk) - [Trainee Solicitor Surgery](http://www.traineesolicitorsurgery.co.uk) - [The Student's Guide to Legal Careers](http://www.chambersstudent.co.uk) - [Automated Solicitors Work placement application form](https://www.solicitors.com/work-experience.html) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Trainee solicitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trainee_solicitor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trainee_solicitor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.