Specialist accreditation scheme relaunches

Career development is a theme that runs through much of what we do in the Education, Training & Qualifications team at the Society. It is one of our key aims to ensure that our members receive the support they need at every stage of their career journey. 

In line with this, we have relaunched the Specialist Accreditation scheme. This scheme provides solicitors who develop specialist knowledge and expertise during their careers with the opportunity to have that recognised. Details of your specialist accreditation will be available on the Society’s online Find a Solicitor tool, so members of the public or indeed the profession can easily identify and engage a solicitor with special expertise in a particular area of law.

Currently more than 500 solicitors in Scotland are accredited as specialists, and in 2018 we aim to make accreditation available in a variety of new legal areas.

We have already kicked this off with a new specialist accreditation in regulation of professional conduct. This covers the legal area of regulation of the conduct of professionals such as teachers, the medical professions, solicitors and others. It also covers fitness to practise proceedings and should appeal to solicitors working in-house for the professional regulatory bodies as well as those in private practice. 

The main criteria (which apply across the specialisms) are that you as the applicant can show “significant experience” in the area of law within each of the five years before you apply. Each application is assessed by a panel of people with a deep understanding and expertise in the area of law; they look at the applicant’s working experience, their training and any teaching or authorship. The focus on experience gained in practice makes this a flexible career development opportunity, and one which is widely recognised.