Experienced practitioner? Thinking of your next career step?

As well as having the chance to recharge your batteries with a well-earned rest, the summer can provide an opportunity to think about the next steps you want to take in your career.

You may be pondering a move into a potential new area of work or consolidating your skills in an area of law you’re passionate about.

Experienced practitioners who develop a real depth of knowledge in their area of the law often become the ‘go to’ expert within their firms and organisations. In an increasingly competitive market, finding ways to promote and highlight your expert legal knowledge can not only be invaluable for raising your profile within the profession, it can also help boost your profile among existing and potential clients.

Becoming a Law Society of Scotland Accredited Specialist is an excellent way to confirm your specialist status and showcase your skills and knowledge.

What is an accredited specialist?

A Law Society of Scotland Accredited Specialist is a solicitor who is formally recognised as an expert in their chosen area of law. It is a hallmark of excellence that peers and clients can trust.

Solicitors who fulfil the requirements of the accreditation program receive a certificate to confirm their accreditation, along with the right to use an exclusive badge on their website, letters, emails, and for marketing. Their details in our Find-A-Solicitor search tool will also state that they are an accredited specialist.

Why become an accredited specialist?

Specialist accreditation identifies you as having an outstanding level of expertise and depth of knowledge in your chosen field. This can help to:

• Inspire trust from current and future clients
• Increase your profile within the industry
• Progress your career faster
• Create the potential for additional revenue streams through external referrals

Having accredited specialists in your team can also help your firm/practice to stand out. We spoke to Lorna Buchan from Patience and Buchan, and she praised the scheme by saying:

“When setting up the North East’s first specialist family law practice, accreditation as specialists in family and child law helped Patience and Buchan stand out from the crowd. Since then, it’s remained an important part of our business – encouraging our solicitors to pursue accreditation as part of their career development and providing clients with specialist advice in family and child law, and offering family mediation.

The Law Society’s accreditation system rightly recognises those lawyers who are proven experts in their field of accreditation whether that’s family law, child law, or family mediation."

You can view another testimonial on the accreditation section of our website.

How do you become an accredited specialist?

There are currently more than 30 accredited specialisms available. Accreditation is awarded once you have successfully demonstrated to a Law Society panel that you have the necessary experience and training in your specific area of law.

When deciding if accreditation is right for you, you should ask yourself:

• Have you worked in your chosen field for several years?
• Do you have extensive knowledge in your area of law?
• Do your colleagues come to you for advice and guidance with problem cases?
• Have you provided training in your area of law or had articles published?

If you answer yes to these questions, then accreditation might be the right next step in your career.

If you are not sure whether you have sufficient experience or just have a question about the accreditation, please get in touch by email via specalistaccreditation@lawscot.org.uk. You can find out more about our entry requirements and how to apply in the career growth section of our website.