Changes to the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Regulations (QLTR)

0n 27 June 2008, the Solicitors Regulation Authority announced changes to the regulations to take effect on applications for certificates of eligibility made on or after 1 September 2008 and these are summarized as follows:

• Introduction of new guidance, this is in relation to:

  • determining the experience to be gained by applicants prior to their admission as solicitors, see below;

  • determining the experience to be gained by applicants prior to their admission as solicitors, see below;

  • a temporary moratorium on the authorization of further assessment organizations to provide the QLTT.

A full explanation is available from the document “Qualified Lawyers Transfer Regulations Introduction of new guidance” on the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s website:

• http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/qltt.page

• Experience requirement:

  For those applying under regulations 6, 10 and 11 QLTR, a brief summary of the requirements is set out below:

  • At least two years’ experience of working in legal practice in a common law jurisdiction; of which

  • At least two years’ experience of working in legal practice in a common law jurisdiction; of which

  • At least one year must have been gained by practising the law of England and Wales – gained either in a firm or other organisation regulated by the SRA or under the direct supervision of a solicitor who has been admitted in England and Wales and who held a current practicing certificate when he or she supervised you and who has previously at least four such practicing certificates; and

  • Experience of three distinct areas of law and experience of both contentious and non-contentious work.
     

• Test exemptions

  To apply candidates will need to show that he/she passed an examination or other formal assessment within the previous five years that covered the knowledge of the areas covered by a particular head of the test.
  
  For the full details of the experience requirement and the criteria for test exemptions, please see the document entitled “Information for lawyers making an application under the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Regulations” on the SRA’s website:
   http://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/qltt/revised-guidance.page#experience-requirement