To practise as a Scottish solicitor you first need to apply for admission, which is the one-off process to have your name put on the roll of Scottish solicitors.
Admission marks the final part of qualification via two routes:
- Requalifying as a Scottish solicitor from another jurisdiction
- The traineeship, the final stage of the route to qualification.
Once you have been admitted, you must apply for a practising certificate to enable you to perform the duties of a solicitor, which then needs to be renewed on an annual basis.
Recent changes have been made to the Admission as a Solicitor (Scotland) Regulations.
You can find the previous and 2019 versions of the regulations in the sidebar to the left.
The whole admission process (Standard Disclosure Scotland check, verification of application, petitioning the court, the petition being granted and our records being updated) can take up to six weeks.
Our Education, Training & Qualifications team is on hand to help. If you have any questions, get in touch at [email protected].
Applying for admission as a trainee?
Visit our pages containing specific guidance about admission during, or at the end of the traineeship. There are different forms that you may need to complete and processes to be aware of.
When applying for admission, you must be deemed a 'fit and proper person to be a solicitor'. A copy of the guidance can be found here. To practise as a solicitor in Scotland you must be competent to do so and should not pose a risk to your clients, the public or other members of the profession. You must also maintain the standards of honesty, integrity and professionalism that the public and other members of the profession expect.
Fitness and properness is addressed when applying for admission to the roll for the first time, in addition to at the following stages:
- application for an entrance certificate
- application for restoration to the roll at any time
- application for a practising certificate having not held one for 12 months or more
We will carry out a Standard Disclosure Scotland check on you as part of the process. You can apply for this before making your application for admission (and it’ll speed the process up if you do!)
The admission fees are set out on the application form – they are subject to change but are currently around £350.
If you are looking to make a Disclosure Scotland application, please note that paper versions are not being accepted during the COVID-19 outbreak period.
Please follow the link below to find a Word Document version of the application form. You will be given the option to select 'application type'; please select 'standard'.
Link: https://www.mygov.scot/email-disclosure-application-form/
You should complete the form up to and including section 5, then email it as a Word Document to [email protected] for us to complete the Countersignature section. We will then submit the form to Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. Please do not send it directly to Disclosure Scotland.
Please also scan and email with the application form, the 3 forms of ID required, one of which must be photographic and one which must show your current address.
Payment of the £25 fee should be made to the Law Society by card payment or bank transfer only. Please indicate in your email which method you are using.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
The Standard Disclosure Scotland check is an essential part of the application for Admission as a Solicitor or Admission as a Solicitor and Notary Public (separate form available from the Education and Careers team at [email protected])
The Disclosure check must be dated no more than six months prior to your admission date.
You must include copies of at least three forms of ID with your application - your birth certificate plus one photographic ID and one showing your address.
Include your mother’s maiden name or family name in section B13
Please include your national insurance number, passport number (and country of issue) and driving licence number (and country of issue) in section B19 – 26
You must include five years’ address history (to the month), starting with the most recent in section B44-57. Use additional papers if necessary.
Remember to sign and date the form in section C1.
Parts D and E of the form will be completed by us. Do not complete any details in these sections.
Do not send the form to Disclosure Scotland.
The cost of this application is £25.00. Cheques or Postal Orders should be made payable to “The Law Society of Scotland”. If you would prefer to pay by card, please advise us of this and the best number to contact you on to collect payment. You must not put your card details in to section D.
Please send the form together with your completed Admission application to:
Admissions Coordinator
Education, Training and Qualifications Department
The Law Society of Scotland
Atria One
144 Morrison Street
Edinburgh
EH3 8EX
Or:
DX 1 EDINBURGH 1
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] or call 0131 226 7411 (option 3).
