This information reflects the Society's web site at the date you downloaded or printed it and you should check at www.lawscot.org.uk to see if it is still current.

Information for Practice Units

PEAT 2 Quarterly Performance Review

In early December 2011, all PEAT 2 trainees were contact about the new style PEAT 2 Quarterly Performance Review Form as were representatives from their practice units.

A blank PQPR form is available on the right-hand-side of this screen. Please also read the document entitled ''Guidance for undertaking a PEAT 2 Quarterly Performance Review'' before submitting a PQPR document to the Society's online system.

The following notes are important:

(a) Please ensure that your supervising solicitor is up-to-date. This can be found in the ''Trainee Data'' section of the members' login under PEAT 2. This should be the solicitor who will be undertaking your review.

(b) For a very small number of trainees there has been a problem at or around the 8,000 character limit. Therefore, the Society advises attempting to keep the character limit within a PQPR to around 7,500.

(c) If you have not received your login credentials (username and password) please contact loginenquiries@lawscot.org.uk. All trainee solicitors should have received them.

(d) The information contained in the guidance is only applicable to trainees who started their traineeship on or after 1 September 2011 (i.e. PEAT 2 trainees).

(e) PEAT 2 Trainees who started their traineeship beween 1 September and 1 December should have been using paper-based records for their (i) PEAT 2 Record and (ii) TCPD Record.

The online system allows PEAT 2 Trainees to (i) Upload their PQPR forms each quarter (ii) Keep their PEAT 2 Record up to date - this is also known as the online log. (iii) Record any TCPD undertaken.

The Society advises trainees to update their TCPD record from paper to electronic when the system goes live in early December. Trainees do not, however, need to update their PEAT 2 Record (although can do so if they so desire). We would hope that all trainees and supervising solicitors consider the guidance prior to undertaking their first PQPR.

If you have any questions please contact PEAT@lawscot.org.uk

Changes to the traineeship

On the right-hand side of this webpage there are a number of useful documents for practice units.

PEAT 2 Training Plan
Fit and Proper Person's Test - Guidance
List of Trainee Continuing Professional Development Providers (this is updated on a monthly basis and, therefore, the Society encourages those involved in training to return to this page from time to time)
PEAT FAQs
TCPD FAQs

These five documents are the main documents for solicitors involved in the training of trainees.

As part of the PEAT 2 requirements, your trainees are required to complete a PEAT 2 Record, using a new online tool for trainees on the Law Society of Scotland's website. Trainees will us this record to track progress, log Trainee Continuing Professional Development (TCPD) activities, and upload PEAT 2 Quarterly Performance Reviews.

If you have any questions about PEAT or TCPD please contact: PEAT@lawscot.org.uk

Licensing Options

As well as these, there are also a number of licence documents for practice units that wish to offer TCPD can apply for:

Overview of Licence Documents
Licence B: Authorised Provider of Trainee Continuing Professional Development (Internal) - This is for firms that wish to offer Authorised TCPD to their own trainees.
Licence C: Authorised Provider of Trainee Continuing Professional Development (External) - This is for practice units, or other providers of training (private providers, universities, local faculties etc) that wish to offer Authorised TCPD to trainees of other practice units.
Licence D: Authorised Provider of the Mandatory Ethics Course - This is for practice units, or other providers of training (private providers, universities, local faculties etc) that wish to offer the Mandatory Ethics Course to either their own trainees or to those of other practice units.

These licences are optional.

In the early months of 2012, Licence A: PEAT 2 Quarterly Performance Review will be published. This is specifically for organisations whose performance management systems meet the standards of the Society's own PEAT 2 Quarterly Performance Review System.

If you have any questions about the licensing procedure please contact: PEAT@lawscot.org.uk.