mySRA update

Administrative process for applying to be admitted as a solicitor (Trainees)

Updated 6 April 2022 | Published July 2020

Please remember it must be a training principal or authorised signatory who signs off a period of recognised training (PRT). Other roles, such as organisation or training contact, can view training records but cannot sign off a trainee's PRT.

Pre-screening checks

Trainees will receive an email from us to complete their screening eight weeks before their admission date. To apply, trainees will need to complete a Pre-screening Application that can be found in mySRA.

They will then receive an email with a link to Atlantic Data so that the trainee Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. There is a fee for this check which is £34.

What will happen next?

• Following a clear DBS and training principal sign off, trainees will receive a notification to start their application for admission 
• On submission, trainees will be asked to pay the fee 
• Once admission has been granted, trainees can then apply for a practising certificate and pay the fee. 

What does this mean for the training provider?

Four weeks prior to the end of the trainee’s period of recognised training (PRT), we will notify the training principal (or relevant organisational contact) to sign off the training. This can be done in the Managing Trainees section of mySRA.

In this section, you will be able to view a list of current trainees and sign off the training. The training principal can sign off more than one trainee at a time.

Importantly, trainees will not be able to complete their application for admission until this has been completed.

Important - Professional Skills Course Waiver – Covid-19

If you have trainees who are applying for a waiver to defer the completion of the Professional Skills Course due to Covid-19, you should not sign off the training. 

Sign off can only happen when a trainee has evidence of our decision to grant the waiver. 

Trainees can start the screening process, but they should not apply for admission until the waiver application has been granted.

Not a trainee and need to apply for admission?

Any person wishing to be admitted will require a mySRA account to complete pre-screening, admission, and practising certificate applications. Simply follow the instructions within mySRA.