At the end of your traineeship, usually after two years, your training contract must be discharged.

This is a vital stage of the traineeship because a solicitor is not entitled to hold a full (unrestricted) practising certificate until this process has been completed. Discharging your traineeship also means you have qualified as a solicitor!

Please note that before you can work as a solicitor, there are also other processes you need to complete.

 

Update your record

In order for your training contract to be discharged, all PQPRs must be fully completed and 60 hours (min) required CPD for trainees must have been logged.

Each required CPD line item should show at a minimum, the type of required CPD (authorised, authorised ethics or non-authorised), the provider or any authorised entry, the date of completion and the duration. The omission of any of these elements could delay the processing of the discharge.

 

Once ready, the completed Form of Discharge should be sent to:


David Macdougall
Admissions Coordinator
Education, Training & Qualifications
Law Society of Scotland
Atria One
144 Morrison Street
EDINBURGH
EH3 8EX                                                  or                              DX ED1 EDINBURGH

On receipt of the discharge paperwork your record will be checked to ensure all the required PQPRs and CPD for trainees have been completed and properly recorded. Once this check has been carried out we will update your record to show that your traineeship has been discharged and any restrictions on your practising certificate will be removed. We will then send you a letter of confirmation, usually within 10 working days of receipt.

 

Apply for admission and take out a practising certificate

Admission is an important milestone for assessing you are fit and proper to be a solicitor. Some people will have applied for admission during the traineeship.

If you were admitted during your traineeship

You do not have to apply for admission again to practise as a solicitor and if you already hold a restricted practising certificate, you do not need to apply for an unrestricted practising certificate. Instead, the restrictions will be removed when the discharge has been processed.

If you were not admitted during your traineeship

You must apply for admission if you have not been admitted during your training. Please note that you can apply for admission and discharge as one process.

Additionally, you must also apply for an unrestricted practising certificate. Please note this is a separate processes and will not occur automatically when you apply to discharge your training contract.

 

Apply to discharge your training contract now

There are different types of discharge forms. The one you will need depends on whether your traineeship has been assigned, and the type of traineeship you are doing.  The forms on this page relate to trainees who have already been admitted as a solicitor.  If you have not yet applied for admission please visit the admission section of our website.

If you have already been admitted as a solicitor please use this form

If you have already been admitted as a solicitor AND your traineeship was assigned please use this form

If you are doing a non PEAT 1 traineeship, or require a form not available here please contact [email protected] and we will send you the correct form.

Email us at [email protected] to request the relevant paperwork.

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