Duty solicitors are called to police stations to advise and assist people who would otherwise have no legal representation. Duty solicitors also provide advocacy services at magistrates' courts on a rota basis, assisting people who do not have their own legal representatives. You must satisfactorily complete two assessments: portfolio, and interview and advocacy.

Introduction:

1. The accreditation of duty solicitors is covered by Stage 1 of the Law Society’s Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme (CLAS). Stage 1 is in two parts covering the necessary police station and court skills to be a duty solicitor. These parts are now known as PSQ (Police Station Qualification) and MCQ (Magistrates’ Court Qualification).
2. The Law Society requires a duty solicitor who is only qualified as a police station or only as a court duty solicitor will, have 12 months in which to pass the MCQ.
   

• To be awarded the PSQ a solicitor must have:
  
• been “passported” i.e. the solicitor must have been a police station duty solicitor for all or part of the period between 1 January and 1 April 2001. Note that membership for a minimum of one day during this period meets this requirement, or
  
• Been an accredited representative under the police station accreditation scheme or,
• Passed Part 1 of Stage 1 (the PSQ) of the Law Society’s Criminal Litigation Accreditation Scheme.

• The requirements for the PSQ accreditation are similar to police station accreditation for non-solicitors. The candidate must register with an assessment organisation followed by a:
• portfolio of 9 cases
• critical incidents test
  

• Duty solicitor court accreditation:

• To pass the MCQ requirement the solicitor must have:
• been “passported” i.e. the solicitor must have been a court duty solicitor for all or part of the period between 1 January and 1 April 2001. Note that membership for a minimum of one day during this period meets this requirement; or,
  
• passed the MCQ.

• The requirements for the MCQ accreditation are that the candidate must have 6 months experience of criminal defence work and pass:
• a portfolio consisting of short notes on 20 cases and full notes on 5 cases, and,
• the Interview and Advocacy Assessment test in which the candidate is assessed conducting a simulated interview and a simulated appearance in a magistrates’ court.

• The Law Society requires the MCQ to be passed within 3 years of the award of the PSQ.