Principle 5 of the SRA Handbook requires solicitors to provide a proper standard of service to their clients. In order to comply with this principle it is essential that solicitors meet the competences outlined within the SRA’s Competence Statement. Consisting of three sections; a Statement of Solicitor Competence, the Threshold Standard and a Statement of Legal Knowledge, the Competence Statement defines the standards expected of solicitors at the point of qualification and the steps needed to maintain these standards. The Statement is divided into the following four domains:
1. Ethics, professionalism and judgement
2. Technical legal practice
3. Managing yourself and your work
4. Working with other people
As opposed to certifying that they have completed a minimum of 16 hours legal CPD, solicitors will be required to make an annual declaration that they have considered their training needs, with reference to the Statement and the four domains outlined above, and have taken measures to maintain their competence.
It would seem that the Competence Statement is intentionally vague as it must be broad enough to apply to all practitioners regardless of their role, area of law or level of experience. Solicitors must first consider the Statement in respect of their practice and practice area in order to identify what is relevant in order to determine what, if any, training needs they have.
Designed as both a regulatory tool and a learning aid which can either run along side a firm’s existing competence framework or which will encourage firms to adopt such an approach, it is up to the solicitor or firm in question to decide how best to use the Competence Statement, however there is no indication legal CPD will no longer be required.
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