In April 2017, the SRA announced that it would be introducing a new national licensing exam for those wishing to be admitted as solicitors of England and Wales, the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, or the SQE. Where did this idea come from? And why is reform necessary? What is the current system for qualification as a…
The Women and Men of Harvard Law School: Preliminary Results from the HLS Career Study
The Preliminary Report presents the results of the Harvard Law School Career Study (HLSCS), conducted by the school’s Center on the Legal Profession (CLP). Begun with a generous grant from a group of women alumnae in connection with the 55th celebration of the graduation of the school’s first female students in 1953, the study seeks…
The Leadership Imperative: A Collaborative Approach to Professional Development in the Global Age of More for Less
Notwithstanding the increasing importance of technology, the practice of corporate law is — and is likely to remain for the foreseeable future — a human capital business. As a result, law firms must continue to attract, develop, and retain talented lawyers. Unfortunately, the traditional approach, which divides responsibility for professional development among law schools, which…
Event: NOBC 2017 Annual Meeting
Join the National Organisation of Bar Counsel (NOBC) in New York on 9-12 August 2017 for its Annual Meeting. You’ll get the opportunity to meet and learn from others who face the same issues. Session topics include: ‘A discussion about “attacks” on regulatory counsel (and how to deal with them)’, ‘Interplay Between Disciplinary Agencies and Client…
Profile of a regulator: Gene Shipp Jr.
Wallace E. “Gene” Shipp Jr. is retiring as head of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel for the District of Columbia after nearly 37 years of service. In 2016 Shipp was the recipient of the American Bar Association’s Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award, he was also a popular and active member of the ICLR community. Recently,…
Centralised assessment seen widening choice, lowering barriers
Proposals to centralise the assessment of would-be solicitors in England and Wales are highly likely to increase the number, and broaden the range, of training providers in the market, according to a report published by the Bridge Group. The report, based on 18 individual and group, semi-structured interviews (25 participants in total) with a representative range of…
80% of major jurisdictions use central qualifying assessment
In an international benchmarking exercise, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in England and Wales finds that almost 80% of the jurisdictions surveyed have a common assessment as part of lawyer qualification. Report on SRA website
Hong Kong Law Society to introduce common entrance exam
Hong Kong Law Society has proposed that from 2021 onwards, lawyers in Hong Kong will be required to sit and pass a ‘Common Entrance Examination’ in order to enter a trainee solicitor contract. The exam will be set and marked by the society itself, and is designed to standardise testing across Hong Kong’s three law…
Setting Standards: The future of legal services education and training regulation in England and Wales
Legal Education and Training Review The review was jointly undertaken by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Institute of Legal Executives Professional Standards (IPS). It was intended to be the most substantial review of legal education and training since the publication of the ‘Ormrod Report’ (Report of the Committee on Legal…