News
LSB approves QLTS
- 09th April 2010
The Legal Services Board (LSB) has approved the new Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme, due to be implemented in September.
The new scheme will apply to internationally qualified lawyers and lawyers qualified in the UK who wish to be admitted as solicitors in England and Wales. Its purpose is to ensure consistency in the standards of skills and knowledge for all solicitors registered in the UK.
Assessments under the QLTS will start in January 2011 and will include a separate English language requirement for international applicants which must be satisfied prior to being eligible to take the written and practical assessments.
Clare Gilligan, the Head of Education and Training at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, says: “The QLTS will ensure that all candidates are assessed against the same set of standards using practical exercises, rather than relying on experience as in the past. The QLTS will also allow lawyers to apply from a larger number and wider range of jurisdictions than at present. The new scheme is objective, transparent and fair so the profession will be able to recruit with confidence.”
The existing Qualified Lawyers Test dates back to 1990 but the test and the relevant regulations urgently need modernisation to reflect changes in legal education.
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