All newly qualified solicitors are to face a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check and will have to prove their identity before they are admitted to the roll, it emerged last week.

The Law Society's Regulation Board voted to beef up public protection in admission procedures, when the character and suitability of applicants is considered.


The CRB check contains details of all convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the Police National Computer and disclosure is allowed because the solicitors' profession is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.


An integral part of the CRB process is verifying identity, and this will now be part of the admission process for the first time. Applicants will need a solicitor or barrister to confirm their identity, having reviewed relevant documentation.


Similar measures will be put in place for foreign applicants, using the CRB's overseas information service.


Regulation Board chairman Peter Williamson said: 'The board has endorsed a new approach which puts public protection foremost. The burden will be on new solicitors to clear any doubt there may be about their character and suitability.'


Guidance for assessing character and suitability matters has been redrafted. There will be no absolute prohibition on admission for any particular circumstances. However, the guidance indicates when there must be doubt, such as convictions for offences involving dishonesty and where the likes of academic authorities and employers have been deceived.


Aspiring solicitors are currently required to make disclosure themselves when they become student members of the Law Society, so the CRB check should not throw up a lot of new cases. Around 300 were considered in 2005; a significant number concerned academic misconduct, while drink driving and drugs-related offences were among the other more common issues.


The procedure will be introduced on an interim basis while it is put to consultation. Applicants will be required to pay £47, most of which is the cost of the CRB check.