High level of engagement with new SRA consultation

The SRA is running two new events to raise awareness and understanding of the draft Competence Statement and supporting documents. Bespoke sessions are taking place in in London and Birmingham on 19 November and 5 December.

The competence statement, which is accompanied by a 'threshold standard' and 'statement of legal knowledge', is part of the SRA's Training for Tomorrow programme of educational reform, which has now gone out for consultation.

The statement is crucial to the SRA's aim of opening up new avenues into the solicitor profession. It focuses on the standards expected at the point of qualification, rather than by how they are acquired.

Director of education and training, Julie Brannan, said: "We have already had a high level of engagement from solicitors, legal educators and consumers during the development of the Competence Statement. These road show events will be an opportunity to hear more views and discuss whether our proposed Competence Statement captures the activities which all solicitors should be able to do competently."

Consumer evidence

The SRA has also published the findings from the extensive engagement work undertaken to support the development of the Competence Statement. The research was carried out among a representative sample of practitioners. Consumers were also consulted about what they expected a solicitor to be able to do competently.

Practitioners were asked to give a rating between one to ten on the importance of the main competences, before respondents were then asked to give feedback on the adequacy of the statement overall.

The percentages of respondents giving a rating of between 7 and 10 to the adequacy of the statement overall, as a description of the competences required by a 'competent solicitor' were positive. Individual consumers and business consumers gave ratings of between 87 and 90 per cent.

Brannan, said: "This research has given us a strong evidence base from which to develop a Competence Statement that reflects the views and experiences of practitioners and consumers in describing what a competent solicitor needs to be able to do."

Honest reflection

Mark Solon, solicitor and managing director legal division of Wilmington Group Plc, commented: "I welcome the new approach to identifying the education and training needs of solicitors, and the new draft Competence Statement begins to show what solicitors need to do to achieve competence.

"Sometimes the obvious needs to be stated; act honestly and with integrity, take responsibility for personal learning and development, know the law. The difficulty will be for solicitors to honestly reflect on their own abilities and this will prove much harder that just attending 16 hours of CPD training. Some hand holding by training professionals will be needed."

John van der Luit-Drummond is legal reporter for Solicitors Journal