Support for new solicitors

As a new solicitor you may be interested to know about the work the Society does to represent and support solicitors. The Society offers a range of services specifically designed to promote and support the interest of solicitors. It's likely that as your career progresses you will look to the Society to provide assistance and we are delighted to do so. The following pages will provide information about the representative function of the Society and its work to support the profession generally as well as individual members.

Professional support

Providing high quality professional advice, guidance and training on entering the profession, practising as solicitor and managing a legal firm.

Professional practice

Provides comprehensive advice and reassurance for you, your firm and your clients:

• producing clear and accessible practice guidelines on how to apply professional rules to the practical situations facing practitioners
• providing expert, definitive, and confidential advice on meeting regulatory requirements and applying rules
• delivering regular training and briefings to the profession, sharing best practice and addressing new challenges
• supporting key career milestones - from moving firm, to becoming an accredited specialist, or becoming a solicitor advocate
• informing key business decisions - converting to LLP, becoming a multi-national practice, or through providing cost of time data

• taking responsibility, where solicitors want expert input to guide clients or colleagues on professional issues and responsibilities

Education and training/membership and registrar

Supports both firms and trainees on training and development, and provides careers advice to all those interested in qualifying as solicitors:

• providing advice on getting the most out of a traineeship and how to add value to your business by taking on trainees
• protecting the profession and public by ensuring that all those entering the profession have met the required standards and are 'fit and proper'
• managing a national careers service for those considering a career in the legal sector, including events, information services, and a helpline
• supporting training firms to get the most out of their trainees
• ensuring solicitors' views are reflected in the standards and assessments required to become a solicitor
• guiding solicitors on compliance with continuing professional development requirements
• helping solicitors build links with local communities, through support of schools programmes such as the award winning Young Citizens Passport and Scotland's largest debating tournament

Update

Provides high quality CPD events for the Scottish legal profession
through a fully inclusive and self-funding programme of legal and management training events:

• providing a comprehensive and affordable programme of conferences
• seminars
• briefings
• online CPD available to those working in the legal profession
• liaising with the profession and key group to ensure the relevance and availability of training
• designing bespoke solutions where required
• targeting all sectors, such as our highly respected and popular programmes for in-house lawyers or those recently qualified

The professional support groups work alongside our regulation, law reform and registrar teams to provide complete support to legal professionals.