Training contracts

IMPORTANT: Due to the ever changing circumstances relating to COVID-19, the Society is currently accepting electronic copies of training contracts within 28 days of the trainees commencement date. Electronic copies are to be sent to [email protected] which will be processed and recorded in the Society's records. Trainees are then asked to send the hand signed copy of the contract to the Society's offices (address details below) once they are in a position to do so. Please note, the Society can only register the hand signed copy with the Books of Council and Session, therefore trainees will not receive their Extract until the original contract has been registered with the Keeper.

This is the first document you must submit as a trainee. Standard training contracts can now be found on the members portal, which can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

 Access your training contract here

Under the 2019 admission regulations registration of your training contract must occur within 28 days of the start date of your traineeship, so it is vital that we receive your completed form in sufficient time to allow for this. Any contracts received outwith this timescale will be deemed as late and must be accompanied by a covering letter explaining the reasons for the late submission and will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Admissions Sub-committee. Failure to return the contract on time may result in an amendment to the commencement date of training.

We have registered a standard form of training contract, designed to make the process of completion of the contract as straightforward as possible.  This came into effect on 1 June 2017. You can find a copy of the extract of the Deed of Declaration further down on the left hand side of this page.

Until a training contract has been registered by us, trainees will not have full access to the PEAT2 section on our website. This will mean they cannot access their TCPD Log or upload their Quarterly Performance Reviews (PQPRs), even if they are receiving automatic reminder emails from one of our email accounts.

Secondments and assignations

An assignation means to move your traineeship from one firm to another, whereas during a secondment your employer retains responsibility for your training but seconds you to another office for part of your training. 

Assignations are possible during the traineeship, but you cannot do so within the final three months. If you wish to change firms in the final three months of your training, you might want to consider a secondment. You must give the Education, Training and Qualifications Department at least 10 working days notice when requesting an assignation. All parties to the contract must email or write to us to confirm their consent to the proposed assignation.

Trainee solicitors can also fulfil part of their training period on secondment at any of the training unit's places of business or at another training entity. Training managers remain ultimately responsible for supervision during such secondments and are required to inform us of the location and duration of any secondment, although – unlike under former regulations – they do not need formal approval from us. However, Training managers must comply with our guidance and the new Admission Regulations.

Please direct any questions, requests or information to [email protected].

Termination of training contracts

We have issued a policy statement on the termination of training contracts, which can be found here.