Trainee Solicitor Registration 2026

The Society, as the regulatory authority responsible for the education and qualification of solicitors in Northern Ireland, oversees the training process.

As such, in order to undertake the Society's two-year training programme, you must successfully register with ourselves as a trainee solicitor.

In order to register as a trainee solicitor, you must have secured a training contract with a Master.

If you have secured a Master, you should submit your application, regardless of your position on the IPLS Order of Merit.

Once your online application is submitted, along with your uploaded documentation, it will be reviewed by the Society's Admissions Officer.

Any missing, incorrect or incomplete information will be requested from you. It is important that you read the Registration Handbook carefully before you complete the application to avoid any issues.

If your application is complete and all is in order, we will write to confirm receipt. Please note, this is not confirmation of your registration - this will be sent shortly after the August deadline.

We will write to all applicants via email shortly after the August deadline to confirm if you have been successful in your registration with the Society.

Registration with the Society carries a one-time fee of £187.50. You do not pay this at the point of applying. 

If your application is successful, we will write to you directly to advise on how and when to make this payment.

Some notable dates that you should note, are:

14 April 2026

Character and Fitness Declaration deadline at 5pm (UK time)

24 August 2026: 

Deadline for registration with the Society. The online form will close at 5pm (UK time) on this date.

7th September 2026:

This is the date on which your two-year training contract will commence.

8th September 2028:

Following successful completion of all elements of your training, this is the date on which you will be eligible to apply for admission to the Roll of Solicitors in Northern Ireland ("the Roll").

The following documents can be witnessed/signed as follows:

EF1B Petition for Registration

This must be sworn before a Commissioner for Oaths*.

It cannot be sworn before your Master but it may be sworn before a solicitor within your current or prospective training organisation.

EF1E: Indentures of Apprenticeship (“training contract”)

The witness/es for this document do not need to be Commissioners for Oaths.

The witness/es may not be solicitors within the same organisation as your Master.

Where available you should complete the fields on the paperwork electronically, but signatures should be completed by hand.

*Commissioner for Oaths (Art 76(1) Solicitors (Northern Ireland) Order 1976, "...every solicitor who holds a practising certificate which is in force shall have all the powers conferred by any enactment on a commissioner for oaths..."

Please direct any queries in respect to the training programme to traineeinfo@lawsoc-ni.org.