1 Definition
It is a system whereby you study for the CPE/GDL or LPC and serve under a training contract at the same time.
It allows you to commence training and start earning money whilst at the same lime studying a part time course leading to qualification.
2 How does it work?
Although the contract is expressed as "part time" you will usually effectively work full time in the office and will only be absent to attend study days for the course - On many part time courses this can include weekends.
The length of service required under a part time study contract is no longer than that under a full time contract, if the length of the full time Legal Practice Course (LPC) is taken into account. However only half the time served is considered as "good service" by the Law Society, so that someone in a two year part time contract will only have one year recognised and will be required to arrange a further contract for a year in order to complete the necessary training period.
A trainee who undertakes two consecutive part time courses, for example the last two years of a law degree and the part time LPC, would complete a period of four years of training at the training establishment.
A trainee who completes only the LPC on a part time basis would need to spend three years training at the firm, two part-time and one on a full-time basis.
3 The Training Contract
As with the full time training contract, there is a Law Society prescribed form for the contract a copy of which is in the "Training Trainee Solicitors" Guide, available online (above).
You will need to be on an approved course before the contract can be signed. The contract can not therefore pre-date the date of the part time course. If you are due to commence a course on 1 September the contract must be dated on or after that date.
The contract must be calculated in academic calendar years and would therefore normally run from 2 September 2005 until 1 September 2006, this is the case even though the course is likely to finish in the June before.
The training establishment is not obliged to take you on for the whole of the training period and may well just offer you the training while you are still studying. It is advisable to try to find a firm to take you for the whole of the training period so that your training does not need to be interrupted by moving firms. Make sure you check the offer letter to see whether the training is for all of the training period.
The authorisation and registration requirements are the same as for the full time training contract.
4 Registration of the Training Contract
The training contract must be registered at the Law Society within 28 days of the contract being signed by both you and the firm. Until it is registered you are not a “trainee” and will not be protected by the Training Contract Regulations.
The Law Society will send you notification of registration.