North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has questioned the Counsel General this week over the engagement she is having with the Law Society in Wales regarding their calls for Wales to match England’s offer of a Level 7 Legal Apprenticeship.
The Level 7 Legal Apprenticeship is a six-year Solicitor Apprenticeship. The scheme includes all the content in a law degree and enables an Apprentice to get a Law Degree and LLM Masters. Once an Apprentice completes the Apprenticeship and passes the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) assessment, the Apprentice can qualify as a Solicitor.
Currently, Wales only offer the Level 3 and 5 Legal Apprenticeship.
Raising the matter in Spokesperson’s Questions to the Counsel General in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood also asked what engagement she is having with the Law Society in Wales regarding their calls for improved data on the Welsh legal sector.
He said:
“Implementation of the legal implications of Welsh Government policies for both those working in the legal sector and those who are using legal services will require a thriving Solicitors sector in Wales.
“What engagement are you therefore having, or will you be having, given your short time in this role, with the Law Society in Wales, which represents, as you know, the views of the Welsh Solicitors profession, and Welsh Solicitors’ current priorities, regarding their calls for both improved data on the Welsh legal sector and for Wales to match England’s offer of a Level 7 Legal Apprenticeship?”
The Counsel General replied:
“I will be having conversations with the Law Society, and with the legal profession more widely across Wales, to discuss a number of issues, including legal services training and access to law.”