Students must train in legal ethics

Following the review of legal services education and training recently announced by the main three legal regulators, the Society has called for a greater focus on ethics in the qualifying law degree. 

It praised the strong emphasis placed on the regulators on the need to ensure the ethical standards of lawyers in the changing legal market and says it will continue to urge the regulators to strengthen the place of ethics in the education and training process. 

The Society’s Chief Executive Desmond Hudson said the review must also take into account the need to encourage social mobility and diversity within the profession, and says: “The legal services market is changing, and the challenge for the solicitors’ profession is to secure its standards in the face of these changes and overarching regulators who may not understand the profession's previous approach to ethics, while remaining competitive both in the UK and internationally. The Law Society sees a robust education and training system as an essential tool to meet this challenge.

“We will continue to work for a greater focus on ethics in the education and training system, including the Common Professional Examination (CPE), Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and particularly in the Qualifying Law Degree, which provides the ideal environment for all would-be entrants to the legal profession to develop a deep understanding of the value and meaning of legal ethics.”