Annex I Patterns of entry, accreditation and exemption (updated from LETR Research Update 12/2)
In order to show this information clearly, some level of simplification has been required. In particular, exemption may relate only to qualifications obtained within a limited time period and there may be other age, English language or employment status thresholds. Further, this table does not distinguish between organisations which offer blanket exemption and those which offer exemption in principle within a category but in fact make case-by-case assessments within it. Any errors or over-simplifications are those of the research team.
Failure to represent a possible variable indicates not that it is necessarily impossible, but that it has not been possible from publicly available information to locate a formal accreditation or exemption mechanism for it. It may involve no exemption at all, or, alternatively, fall under a general discretionary waiver.
| From this[1] | NQF level[2] | You can |
| GCSE/A level/equivalent | 1-3 | Enter the costs lawyer modular route (subject to fitness criteria) (CLSB, 2013) |
| Enter the CILEx route (some exemptions for eg A level law) | ||
| Enter the licensed conveyancer foundation stage (CLC, n.d.) | ||
| Enter a law degree (from level 3) (LLB/foundation) | ||
| Enter a legal apprenticeship | ||
| From CILEx level 3(CILEx, 2012a) | 3 | Enter the licensed conveyancer foundation stage with one exemption |
| 3 | Enter the costs lawyer modular route (exemption may be considered)[3] | |
| From a qualifying law degree[4]/GDL | 4-6[5] | Enter the costs lawyer modular route (exemption may be considered) |
| Enter the BPTC (with at least a 2:2) | ||
| Enter the CILEx graduate fast track route[6] | ||
| Enter the patent attorney route (with some exemptions at foundation level especially if an IP option)[7] | ||
| Acquire six months’ experience and enter licensed conveyancer route at final stage (some exemptions from foundation stage apply only to degree and not to CPE/GDL)[8] | ||
| Enter the registered trade mark attorney route (with some exemptions especially if an IP option) followed by academic course and full vocational course | ||
| Enter OISC assessment structure.[9] | ||
| Enter the LPC | ||
| Acquire five years’ experience and enter STEP Qualified Practitioner fast track course | ||
| Some systems (eg qualification as a notary) use possession of a degree (sometimes any degree) as a basic entry criterion. It would also clearly be possible for someone with a degree, possessing the other relevant characteristics, to enter by any of the mature entrant routes described separately. | ||
| From BPTC | 6-7 | Enter the costs lawyer modular route (exemption may be considered)[10] |
| Enter pupillage | ||
| Attain CILEx graduate member status | ||
| Enter the patent attorney route[11] | ||
| Enter the ‘short form’ LPC |
| From this[12] | NQF level[13] | You can |
| From CILEx/CILEx level 6[14](CILEx, 2012a) | 6 | Enter the costs lawyer modular route (exemption may be considered) |
| Enter licensed conveyancer route at final stage with some exemptions (some of which are contingent on 50% plus grade) | ||
| Enter the LPC (complete PSC but usually exempt from training contract) | ||
| From LPC | 6-7[15] | Enter the costs lawyer modular route (exemption may be considered |
| Enter the patent attorney route[16] | ||
| Attain CILEx graduate member status | ||
| Enter licensed conveyancer route at finals stage with some exemptions (not CLC accounts and one paper exempt only if a commercial elective[17] has been taken on LPC) | ||
| Enter the training contract (complete PSC)[18] | ||
| Qualify elsewhere in the world and enter QLTS (with partial exemption). No training contract then required. | ||
| From qualification as a patent attorney(CIPA/ITMA, 1991, 2010; IPReg 2011) | Possible dual qualification as a registered trade mark attorney | |
| From qualification as a registered trade mark attorney(ITMA, 2012; IPReg 2011) | 6-7[19] | Possible dual qualification as a patent attorney |
| From qualification as a barrister (including pupillage)[20] | 6-7 | With two years’ IP experience, enter registered trade mark attorney route (with some exemption for IP subjects and a fast track vocational course) (ITMA, 2012) |
| Enter the Notarial Practice Course | ||
| Enter the QLTS (no training contract required) | ||
| Acquire two years’ experience and enter STEP Qualified Practitioner fast track course | ||
| From qualification as a solicitor | 6-7 | Enter the BTT (possible reduction in pupillage) |
| With two years’ IP experience, enter registered trade mark attorney route (with some exemption for IP subjects and a fast track vocational course) (ITMA, 2012) | ||
| Enter the Notarial Practice Course (Master of the Faculties, 1998) | ||
| Acquire two years’ experience and enter STEP Qualified Practitioner fast track course | ||
| As a mature entrant/prior legal experience/no prior qualifications/prior qualifications or experience not otherwise accredited | Enter via ACL aptitude test | |
| Possible entry to the BTT (possible reduction in pupillage) | ||
| Some waiver/exemption may be made in patent/registered trade mark attorney scheme | ||
| Non-graduate may obtain entrance to CPE/GDL | ||
| Possible reduction in training contract (which might include work as, say a licensed conveyancer or paralegal) |
[1] These are stated as minima, so each stage necessarily encompasses all previous stages.
[2] As periods of supervised practice are not generally allocated a level, this column may represent the level of the most recent formal qualification only.
[3] The reference (CLSB, 2013) is to ‘ILEX qualifications’.
[4] Occasionally only ‘law degree’ is stipulated. We have found no cases of exemption being contingent on a particular subject having been studied at a particular level within levels 4-6 or (with the exception of the notaries route) explicit requirements as to content within the subject.
[5] Which stage a particular subject has been studied at will vary between institutions and degree programmes although some legal study must take place in the final year (at level 6). The CPE/GDL is, by definition, entirely at what is now level 6.
[6] Exemption is from the level 3 qualification and some aspects of the level 6 qualification.
[7] In practice, however, patent attorneys will have a first degree and often a doctorate in a science subject as regulations governing admission of representatives before the European Patent Office require candidates to ‘possess a university-level scientific or technical qualification, or [be] able to satisfy the Secretariat that they possess an equivalent level of scientific or technical knowledge’ (European Patent Office, 2011:11).
[8] In the opposite direction, licensed conveyancers may be allowed exemption from the land law subjects of a qualifying law degree.
[9] Some exemption for equivalent SRA caseworker accreditations.
[10] The reference is to the BVC only, it is assumed that the BPTC is included.
[11] The relevant regulations give power to exempt for the ‘Bar Final Examination’ (assumed to include both BVC and BPTC).
[12] These are stated as minima, so each stage necessarily encompasses all previous stages.
[13] As periods of supervised practice are not generally allocated a level, this column may represent the level of the most recent formal qualification only.
[14] If they have achieved the CILEx level 6 qualifications in all the Foundations and have three years’ practice they may be exempt from the CPE/GDL.
[15] Practice will vary.
[16] The relevant regulations give power to exempt for the ‘Final Examination of the Law Society’ (assumed to include the LPC).
[17] An elective may well be at level 7 even if other aspects of an institution’s LPC are at level 6.
[18] The SRA work-based learning scheme including LPC graduate paralegals without training contracts was a pilot and new entry is currently closed.
[19] The new vocational course straddles levels 6 and 7.
[20] Where regulations state that there is exemption for ‘barristers’ we have assumed that this means a barrister having completed pupillage.