Diploma validity

You must have a valid Diploma to be able to apply for an entrance certificate. An entrance certificate is required in order for you to commence a traineeship.

Diploma validity has changed for people awarded a Diploma after 1 November 2019.

Changes have been made to the Admission as Solicitor (Scotland) regulations, which took effect on 1 November 2019. Therefore if you are awarded your Diploma from 2020 onwards then your Diploma is valid for five years from 1 January the year after its award. You must start a traineeship within this period. For example, if you are awarded the Diploma in June 2020, it is valid until 1 January 2026 and you must start a traineeship before that date.

  Diploma validity for people who were awarded a Diploma before 1 November 2019

In you were awarded your Diploma in 2019 or earlier, it is valid until 31 December, two years after it is awarded. For example, if you are awarded the Diploma in May 2018, it is valid until 31 December 2020.

You can apply for an extension to the Diploma validity below. If granted, this lasts for one year. It is possible to apply for multiple extensions.

In order for the Law Society to consider an application for extension of your Diploma validity, please provide information relating to the following criteria:

• appropriateness of any work - paid or voluntary
• appropriateness of any training undertaken
• endeavours of the applicant to obtain a traineeship
• efforts of applicant to keep up their legal knowledge

Please also submit a copy of your CV with your application.

When applying, please inform us of the year in which your Diploma was awarded.

All applications must include details of 15 hours of CPD style learning (listed in the “training undertaken” section of the form) relevant to the core or mandatory outcomes of law covered on PEAT 1. The core outcomes are Professionalism, Professional Communication and Professional Ethics and Standards. The mandatory outcomes means the core curriculum of Conveyancing, Private Client, Litigation, Business, Financial and Practice Awareness, and Tax. 

CPD-style learning means:

• Attending a course, seminar, lecture or conference
• In-house briefings, seminars, lectures, courses within a practice unit
• Designing or writing a training session or presentation
• Lecturing or tutoring at an academic institution
• Using e-learning or another form of online learning
• Distance learning
• Studying for an academic, legal or professional qualification
• Role play activities or participation in organised discussions
• Structured one-to-one coaching/mentoring

If you are unable to meet the above criteria, please contact [email protected] in the first instance.

Please do not send evidence of your efforts to secure a traineeship, we only require you to provide brief details and information. Please also ensure that the information you provide relates in particular to the last 12 months.

Once we have all of the required information, your request will be transferred onto the relevant person/committee for consideration.

If you have not secured a traineeship by a month before your Diploma expires, please apply for an extension to your Diploma validity in writing to Deb Barber in the Education, Training and Qualifications team at [email protected]. If you have any questions regarding this then you can contact us at the above email address.