The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) welcomes the Law Society of Ireland’s forthcoming symposium on Solicitor Training Contracts in the Public Sector, taking place on Thursday, 20 November, from 10am to 1pm at the Law Society’s Education Centre.
This free event directly supports one the LSRA’s recommendations aimed at improving access to the legal professions. In our Breaking Down Barriers report, published in January 2024, we set out 32 recommendations to address the economic and other barriers faced by aspiring and early-career solicitors and barristers. Among these, Recommendation 10 called for public sector agencies that routinely recruit solicitors to be encouraged to establish direct trainee intake schemes.
The upcoming symposium responds to that call by providing guidance for public-sector practitioners interested in developing solicitor-training programmes within their organisations.
Attendees will hear from senior public-sector legal practitioners on how employing trainee solicitors can benefit their teams and the wider public service. The event will outline the steps required to establish a successful training programme, eligibility requirements to become a training solicitor and the various supports available from the Law Society.
Speakers will also discuss the flexible nature of training contracts, and the hybrid Professional Practice Course (PPC), and how trainees can combine work and study in a public-sector setting.
Further information and registration details are available on the Law Society website.
Our Breaking Down Barriers implementation plan can be accessed here.