Becoming authorised and appointing a training principal

September 2021

You do not need to register as a authorised training provider or register a training principle if you are offering qualifying work experience (QWE).

Becoming an authorised training provider

If you are thinking of employing trainees, you should be sure that your organisation is able to provide the breadth of experience and supervision they need. Trainee solicitors can gain practical experience in a variety of legal environments such as a solicitor's firm, a local authority or an in-house legal department.

Any organisation which wants to take on and train a trainee solicitor needs to be authorised by us first. In order to be authorised, you must appoint a training principal.

Once authorised, you can employ as many trainees as you feel are appropriate, providing you can meet the requirements of our regulations.

Your organisation may also be monitored by us to make sure that the training is of an appropriate quality and standard. We can apply conditions to the authorisation or, if we have serious concerns about the quality of training being provided, revoke authorisation.

As a training provider, your organisation is also required to pay the fees and expenses for each trainee's first attempt at the Professional Skills Course.

How to apply

If your firm wants to be authorised to employ trainee solicitors, you will need to complete this application.

Payment

The fee is £100

What next

It may take 6-8 weeks for us to allocate applications that need review.

Training can only start once you are authorised.

Changing a training principal

To tell us about a new training principal, please complete the training principal declaration. This will need to be completed by a manager of the Authorised Training Provider on behalf of the organisation.