Qualified Scottish Solicitor

Background and Guidance

This page outlines the procedure of applying for registration as a student of the Law Society of Northern Ireland ("the Society") as a solicitor qualified in Scotland.

You should refer to the Registration Handbook: Qualified Scottish Solicitor, as available for download above, for extensive details on the application process and requirements.

If you have ever been admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales and/or the Republic of Ireland then you may be eligible to apply for direct admission to the Roll, please contact the Admissions Officer via email at admissions@lawsoc-ni.org to discuss.

Application and Supporting Evidence

In order to apply for registration under this route you will be required to complete the following:

• Online application form, with supporting evidence uploaded (link available below)

• Submit Character and Fitness Declaration Form (link provided upon application)

• Supply a Basic Access NI certificate (dated within 3 months of application)

• Arrange for the provision of two supporting references

• Pay or arrange for the payment of the requisite fee

You are required to submit a number of pieces of supporting evidence, as follows:

• Certificate/s of Good Standing:
  Arrange for the provision of a Certificate of Good Standing from ALL regulatory bodies under which you have been admitted as a regulated legal professional, this includes as a solicitor, barrister, attorney-at-law or similar local title e.g. Advocat. This includes jurisdictions in which you no longer practise or have never actively practised.

  The Certificate should be dated within 3 months of the date of your application to be admitted to the Roll. If your Certificate falls over the 3-month period whilst we await additional evidence, such as references, then a new document will be required.

  We can only accept the Certificate when it is received directly via email from your regulatory body. You should request that they share this with the Society at registration@lawsoc-ni.org.

  The Certificate we receive from your regulator should confirm your date of admission. If not, you should ask that they also supply a copy of your Certificate of Admission or a formal letter confirming your admission details directly to the Society.
   

• Chronological Work History Document:
  You should supply a detailed chronological work history document to outline your work experience since admission. Please refer to the Handbook for details on what exactly is required.
   

• Two References:
  Upon submission of your application form, your referees will receive a link to the reference portal. Your referees must be: 

  • a solicitor in Scotland, England and Wales, Northern Ireland and/or the Republic of Ireland

  • Have a minimum of 5 years standing

  • Have known you personally for at least 2 years

  • Not be in a personal relationship with you (e.g. current or former partners. Friendships and professional relationships, including colleagues, are acceptable). 

  • Not be related to you, e.g. by birth, marriage, divorce, adoption or civil partnership
     

This is a brief overview of the supporting evidence required - please download and refer to the Admission Handbook for full details on the evidence and documentation required.

Compulsory Modules and Training

Upon submission, your application and supplementary papers are reviewed by the Admissions Officer. If all papers are in order then the application is submitted to the Education Committee for consideration.

Solicitors from Scotland are usually required to complete the following:

(i) The following modules at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies (IPLS) in Belfast:

• Private Client: Wills Course
• Property Law and Practice: Part 1 & 2

(ii) the Society modules in:

• Solicitors Accounts Regulations
• Professional Conduct
• Solicitor Complaints
• Regulatory Obligations

(iii) a 6-month apprenticeship with a firm of solicitors in Northern Ireland. This will require the lodgement of Indentures.

At the discretion of the Education Committee, the apprenticeship and module completion may run concurrently.

Fees

The fee to apply for registration as a student of the Society, as a qualified Scottish solicitor, is £187.50. 

Payment is made using the online card payment form supplied in the acknowledgment email. We do not issue an invoice for this fee.

You will be required to pay Queen’s University Belfast separately for the completion of their modules, for queries please email iplsenquiries@qub.ac.uk.

An additional fee is required in order to apply for admission to the Roll.

Upon successful admission to the Roll of Solicitors you may be required to hold a Practicing Certificate (PC) and Personal Indemnity Insurance (PII), each of which require a fee to be paid to the Society. This will depend on your employment circumstances. If you are in any doubt or have any questions regarding your permissibility to hold a PC or PII, please contact the Society at PractisingCertificate@lawsoc-ni.org.

Deadline

The 2027 deadline submission of an application to register with the Society as a student is 14th April 2027 at 5:00pm (UK).

Restrictions on Practice

All solicitors who are admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Northern Ireland are required to serve a three-year period of restricted practice (three full Practising Certificates) under Reg 7(1) of the Solicitors Practice Regulations 1987 (as amended). This applies whether the individual trained in Northern Ireland or transferred from another jurisdiction. 

During this period of restricted practice, a solicitor shall not engage in practice on his/her own account, whether in partnership or otherwise, and shall act as a solicitor only under the supervision of another solicitor who has held a practising certificate for the previous three years.

A solicitor may apply for a waiver of the period of restricted practice, as per Reg. 7(2)(a) of the said Regulations. This waiver request cannot be lodged pre-emptively and so can only be submitted after the individual has been admitted to the Roll.

Character and Fitness

You will be required to submit a Character and Fitness Declaration form as part of your application to register with the Society. A link will be provided to you upon application.

No applicant will be registered if they are an undischarged bankrupt or if they have been convicted of a criminal offence of such a nature as to make their registration undesirable or if for any other reason they fail to satisfy the Committee as to their fitness to be a solicitor.

Please ensure you refer to the Society's Character and Fitness Policy, available here, for full details.