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Paralegal Qualifies As Solicitor Through Equivalent Means
Billy Sexton, Editor, AllAboutLaw.co.uk
Last updated 16th April 2015
Robert Houchill has become the first paralegal to qualify as a solicitor through the ‘equivalent means’ route. Congrats Robert!
The equivalent means route allows LPC graduates to qualify as solicitors if they can show “other assessed learning and work-based learning” through “equivalent means” of training. And the 30-years-young Robert did just that!
He worked as a paralegal for four and a half years at Bates Wells Braithwaite and gave the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) enough evidence for them to deem that he had displayed the same skills and standards they expect from trainees.
Houchill said that he was, “Sympathetic to people who are anxious this is going to undermine the profession or reduce the quality of people being admitted. But the SRA has made it a demanding process and you have to provide evidence”. His comments come after it was revealed there was wavering support amongst the industry for this new, flexible route to qualification.
It was previously revealed that there had been just under 30 applicants to the equivalent means route.
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