Training Contract Records

Why?

Why? You must…

SRA Training Regulations 2014 “Trainees must maintain a record of training which… Contains details of work performed Records how the trainee has acquired, applied and developed their skills by reference to the Practice Skills Standards Records the trainee’s reflections on his or her performance and development plans Is verified by the individuals supervising the trainee” (Regulation 14.1)

SRA Training Regulations 2014 Training Principal must ensure trainees maintain a record of training which will meet requirements of Regulation 14 (Regulation 13.1) At end of training contract, Training Principal must be able to sign off that trainee... "has a full and complete record of training which complies with the requirements under the SRA Training Regulations 2014” (AD1 Admission Form)

The SRA’s Practice Skills Standards 90+ skills/competencies across the key headings: Advocacy and oral presentation Time & work management, including Case and transaction management Client care and practice support Communication skills Dispute resolution Drafting Interviewing and advising Legal research Negotiation

Putting this all together… A training record should: Capture examples of your experience Be selective (not a duplicate time recording system) Be representative of what you’ve been doing Cross-refer to the SRA Practice Skills Standards Say something about your learning and development and how you might do things better/differently next time (reflective)

For example… Let’s say you’re in Property and complete 20 TR1 forms in a week. Do you: Create 20 entries in your training record for each TR1 form you’ve done? Create 1 entry in your training record for that week covering this experience, noting what you learned?

“What if I don’t do it..?” You and your Training Principal in breach of the SRA Training Regulations The SRA have audit powers and can demand to see your training contract record Your Training Principal must be satisfied that you have complied with the SRA requirements before signing you off for admission as a solicitor

Not just about the SRA… …a learning & development tool A way for you to capture and reflect on your learning and development A way for you and the Firm to assess your progress against the SRA and any firm-specific ‘KPIs’ Relevant for mid-seat and end-of-seat reviews Relevant for NQ applications (a ‘CV builder’)

Historically (and at many firms still), training records have been a paper exercise…

How often should I be logging on How often should I be logging on? Requirements, expectations & benchmarks

How often should I be logging on? Expectation (including SRA) is ‘weekly’ 20 to 30 minutes per week Some weeks will be very busy, but… …would not expect a month to go by without any entries Firm will track & monitor engagement levels No black & whites but as a benchmark…

Our rating: On average: ‘Good’ 3 or 4 entries per week ‘OK’ 1 or 2 entries per week ‘Poor’ < 1 or 2 entries per week