The Training of How to Become a Solicitor Starts Off by Doing a Vocational Study Called LPC

Solicitors

The training of how to become a solicitor starts off by doing a vocational study called LPC. It is a one-year, full-time (or two-year, part-time) course designed to provide a bridge between academic study and training within a law firm. It is both knowledge and skills-based, and it aims to ensure that you are able to do the work of a trainee solicitor under proper supervision when you enter your training contract with a law firm.

The LPC is more practical than its predecessor, the Law Society finals, and learning by rote has taken a back seat as the focus has shifted firmly towards mastering relevant skills. Today the emphasis is on workshops, continuous assessment, independent research and group discussions. It also allows you a certain amount of specialisation through a range of optional subjects. You will find that the LPC provides a good practical foundation for your early years of practice at a law firm.

Most courses begin with introductory classes, which aim to develop a mix of pervasive and substantive skills. The LPC course then continues through the year covering four basic objectives: pervasive and core areas, compulsory subjects, optional subjects and skills.

Pervasive andcore areas
These are the foundations of legal practice. They comprise ethics (including professional conduct and client care), skills (advocacy, interviewing and advising, writing, drafting and research), taxation, trusts and tax planning, principles of EU law, and probate and administration of estates.

Compulsory subjects
The compulsory areas are usually taught in blocks of around 10 weeks through a combined lecture and tutorial system, and are usually studied in the autumn and spring terms. They combine substantive law, procedure and practical skills to ensure all-round competence. The areas are: conveyancing, business law and practice, litigation and advocacy.

Optional subjects
Students will be required to study two optional courses from a range of subjects in the areas of private client (working for individuals) and corporate client (working for companies). These options are usually studied in the final term of the course. While many courses try to avoid over-specialisation at an early stage, the ability to provide as broad a base as possible from which to enter a training contract is important. Some firms will stipulate which options their future trainees should take. These specific options might include commercial law and practice, employment, landlord and tenant, consumer, housing, family, client in the community law (including legal aid, welfare, youth andchildcare), advanced criminal practice, advanced litigation and corporate finance.

Skills
The skills element usually comprises about 25% of the course and includes: legal research, drafting, interviewing, negotiating and advocacy. These skills are assessed through various different techniques. For instance, oral skills are often assessed via video, while written skills tend to be assessed by practice-based exercises.

Where to Study the LPC

If you have completed the GDL, the chances are that you will stay on at the same school to do the LPC. If you are a law undergraduate, you should be looking for as much information as possible about the various schools before applying. You should try and find out about not only the academic programme, but also any links with the profession, the level of individual career guidance, the facilities available and any relevant extra-curricular activities. It would also be helpful to get an idea of the school's reputation among both students and the profession.

LPC Teaching Methods

Teaching methods for the LPC obviously vary from institution to institution and from subject to subject. Most providers use a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials as the basis of the course. More technologically advancedteaching methods, such as the extensive use of DVD lectures, are increasingly common.

LPC Assessment and Pass Rates

Assessment of the LPC is the responsibility of the teaching institutions. It will undoubtedly comprise a mixture of written exams, course work and the assessment of skills. In 2005, a total of6,554 people passed the LPC, an overall rate of 84%, representing a 3% rise from the previous year.

GDL

If you studied a non-law degree but wish to become a lawyer, you must take a conversion courseknown as the graduate diploma in law (GDL). Some institutions refer to it as the common professional exam, but this is the old name and the terms are now used interchangeably.

The GDL is a one-year full-time course designed to provide non-law graduates with a diploma equivalent to a law degree. It forms the common basis for non-law graduate entry into both the solicitors' and barristers' professions. Indeed, without a law degree or the GDL you cannot become a lawyer (unless you take the non-graduate route). The course can also be taken over two years either part-time or by distance learning.

To be eligible for the GDL students must hold a degree (other than an honorary degree) from a UK institution or a foreign institution which the Solicitors Regulation Authority considers to be an equivalent. Alternatively, a student can hold academic and vocational qualifications which the Solicitors Regulation Authority deems equivalent to a degree. Another entry method is for the prospective student to be a fellow ormember of the Institute of Legal Executives (and be over 25), or have gained a diploma in magisterial law. UK graduates do not need a certificate of eligibility to commence the GDL. However, overseas graduates, legal executives, those with professional qualifications equivalent to a degree, and those with a diploma in magisterial law will need to write to the Law Society with copies of their qualifications.Contact the Law Society to confirm precisely what they require to issue the certificate. Whichever way you get on the course, the GDL is an intensive, demanding programme.

As an alternative to the GDL, you can study a two-year senior status law degree, which is virtually identical in content to the GDL.

The life of a solicitor

Becoming a Solicitor

Once you have finished the training contract you will be entered onto the roll of solicitors. You can then apply for a practising certificate and, if you wish, join the Law Society as a full member. You, or your firm, will have to pay for this privilege!

Perhaps more important is the practical consideration of securing a job! Many newly qualified solicitors prefer to stay on with the firm at which they trained, where they are familiar with both the practice and the members of staff. It is good news for these newly qualifieds - it is unlikely that a firm will have invested the time and resources in training you if it had not projected that there was going to be a permanent place available at the end of it. That said,it is possible that the firm's staffing requirements have developed in a way that was not anticipated (eg, through a merger or a downturn in a particular area of work) and that there is no longer a place to offer you.

Some newly qualified solicitors prefer to move firms after qualifying, attracted by, for instance, higher salaries, practice specialisation or location. If you do want to move on, you can search our list of firms by type of practice, city location and size, and get even more background on different types of firm and work area.

In any event, make sure that you get a final decision from your firm in good time so that you can consider your options and give yourself a chance to look for an alternative if necessary. This means that you will want to know the firm's plans three to six months before you qualify.
Life as an Assistant Solicitor

Having qualified and been employed by a firm, your title will almost certainly be that of assistant solicitor. This means that you are an employee of the firm, normally working under the supervision of a partner or senior assistant solicitor, and will work on a fixed salary.

The working life of an assistant solicitor varies considerably according to the type of firm you are with, the partners supervising you, the areas of work in which you are practising and your own abilities. In general, you will be expected to work hard and take responsibility for your own clients without constant supervision. To find out more about what it might be like, read our profiles of solicitors working at different law firms.

Most newly qualifieds eagerly work towards increased seniority in the firm. Assistants can become senior assistants (or, to use an American term, associates); then salaried partners; and finally full equity partners (see below). You do not always need to go through all of these steps - it is possible (though unusual) to go straight from assistant to equity partner.
Continuing Professional Development

The Solicitors Regulation Authority requires every solicitor to update their skills and knowledge constantly, so formally assessed training does not end with the training contract. Under the continuing professional development (CPD) programme, newly qualified solicitors must complete one hour each month in their first year. Subsequently, solicitors must undertake 16 hours per year.

You can earn CPD credit in many ways, which include attending Law Society accredited courses, researching, writing on law, and mentoring. All solicitors must undertake stage one of the Law Society management course to fulfil their CPD commitment.
Partnership

Although many firms are developing alternative career structures by enhancing the status (and pay) of associates, the ultimate career ambition for most solicitors in private practiceis to become a partner. Law firms are partnerships, and are therefore owned and managed by the partners (salaried partners have a similar status to full partners but do not have a share in the firm). How long it will take you to become a partner will depend on both you and the firm you are at.

In general you can expect to waiteight or more years for partnership at a large commercial firm and perhaps a little less at a smaller, less commercially orientated firm. Again, much will depend on your own abilities and probably a bit of luck!

You should also bear in mind that many law firms operate a 'lockstep' partnership system. This means that as a new equity partner, you will not have the same share of the profits as a more senior partner. While this is the norm, a number of firms are now bringing in a share/remuneration structure based on partner profitability and revenue generated.

One recent development within the profession -especially among the larger commercial firms -is that partnership is no longer seen as a life-long tie to one law firm. A significant number of partners arechanging firms in order to secure higher earnings, develop their practice in a different way, or simply escape from their colleagues and a culture they do not want to work in.

Training contract

In 1994 the Law Society decided that the term 'articles' was to be replaced with the more generic 'training contract'. The training contract, which includes the professional skills course (PSC), is the final stage on the path to qualifying as a solicitor. It is the stage at which you put into practice all the knowledge and skills you have learnt so far, and develop these still further within a working environment. The training contract is a two-year period spent working at a law firm. It is normal, especially in the larger firms, for you to spend four blocks of six months eachin different departments (these are usually called seats). In smaller firms the training will not be so structured, although the Solicitors Regulation Authority - which has taken over responsibility for regulatory training from theLaw Society -does require that you cover at least three areas of work. You should always be under the supervision of a qualified solicitor (although usually not the same one for the whole time) who will manage your workload, monitor your progress and help to train you.

PSC

The PSC was introduced in the summer of 1994 as part of the new training scheme for solicitors - you cannot qualify as a solicitor without passing the PSC. This is a modular course, which aims to ensure that you have reached the appropriate level of skills and knowledge during theLPC and the training contract. Firms must pay for their trainees to attend the PSC.

The three core modules are:

·  Financial and business skills;

·  Advocacy and communication skills; and

·  Client care and professional standards

There is a written exam for the financial and business skills module, but no formal assessment of the others.You'll also need to complete 24 hours' worthof elective modules. If it is taken full-time, the PSC will last up to 20 days. However, each module can be taken individually. Many of the larger firms will run the PSC in-house as part of their ongoing training programmes at the beginning of each trainee's contract.

The work of solicitors

The vast majority of solicitors work in private practice for a solicitors' firm, however, there are other organisations/careers open to a qualified solicitor;

·  Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)

·  Local Authority Legal Department

·  Government Legal Department

·  Legal Advisors in Commercial Organisations

For those working in private practice the type of work they would carry out would be among the following depending on the type of solicitors' firm they work for;

·  Writing letters on behalf of clients

·  Advising clients on consumer or housing rights

·  Advising clients on family law - divorce, access to children etc