The end of formal training contracts and the prospect of qualifying 16 months after completing the legal practice course were mooted this week by the Law Society Regulation Board.


Its consultation on a new approach to work-based learning takes on the aim of the training framework review to focus on the skills, knowledge and experience a prospective solicitor has at the point of qualification, rather than the route by which they got there.


> It would move away from the two-year training contract to a period of assessed work-based learning, involving an initial planning session and four review sessions which would take place at not less than four-month intervals – meaning qualification could occur after 16 months.


It would also open up a route to qualification for those not working in organisations accredited for training, or under a formal training agreement.


The decision to drop the time-based nature of the training contract was motivated in part by concerns that it could potentially breach equality legislation, and fails to recognise the different ways people can gain practical experience.


However, the consultation asks whether firms would make use of the new flexibility or just design their training programmes so that all their trainees qualify within 16 months.


Board chairman Peter Williamson said: "As the gatekeeper to the profession, the board has a responsibility to ensure that those entering the profession are competent to do so".


"This new training framework enables every trainee's performance in practice to be subject to a formal, standardised and rigorous assessment procedure that will help maintain the highest standards."


Everyone seeking to qualify as a solicitor would be required to complete a standard portfolio of professional skills and experience, which would be assessed when they wanted to qualify.


The board would cease to prescribe the detailed structure and content of any training agreements between trainees and accredited employers. Employment law would govern the relationship as it now addresses the risks the current training contract aims to cover.


Accredited firms would have in-house portfolio supervisors to advise trainees and in-house assessors. Other individuals would register with the board and then plan their own portfolio and training in collaboration with an external supervisor before going to an external assessor.


The paper emphasised: ‘Anyone wishing to qualify as a solicitor would be able to present themselves for assessment regardless of where or how they had gained their experience and whether it had been gained under a structured training environment or by working in a legal environment at an appropriate level.’


Law Society President Fiona Woolf said: "A flexible and modern training regime should promote innovation, diversity and choice whilst ensuring that the high standards which the public is entitled to expect are maintained. We look forward to scrutinising the proposals against that test."


Trainee Solicitors Group chairwoman Genevieve Monclin added that by avoiding the bottleneck where too many applicants are chasing too few contracts, the proposals ‘will open doors for individuals who might otherwise be denied access to the profession'.


For a copy of the consultation, visit: www.lawsociety.org.uk