One step at a time...

Posted on July 28, 2011 by RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ

I would like to start this entry by letting you know the content may not be the most stimulating today. However if you are planning to take the QLTS assessments you should find it quite helpful. If you are a non legal friend of mine I will understand if you do not finish this. Just try to skip any conversation about my blog until I have written the next entry... No regrets at all! but it doesn't hurt to be polite and hide the truth which is you couldn't care less about how to get a certificate of eligibility. Well, fair enough then.

So let's get this started. There are two important things you will need to get before sitting the assessments for the QLTS. First is a certificate of good standing from your bar association and then the certificate of eligibility from the SRA.

Your certificate of good standing will show that you have successfully completed your studies in law, don't have any criminal record and have been paying your fees to the bar association with no delays.

So first thing I did was to contact my bar association which is located in Barcelona. I filled out the appropriate form and indicated what language I wanted this document to be written in. Here it was! My first mistake. I didn't read through the guidance notes properly and (incorrectly) assumed that the certificate of good standing needed to be in English. Rookie mistake! The SRA asks for the original one which will be written in the language of your home jurisdiction. Had I read it thoroughly I would have saved sixty pounds and two weeks of mucking around.

The next thing you need to do is check out this website www.sra.org.uk and download the application for the certificate of eligibility. Do not forget to read the guidance notes carefully! Make sure you do everything by the book so your application doesn't take longer than it actually needs to. If there is a single mistake your application will be sent back to you. Therefore, double check every page. You will also be asked to attached a certified copy of your passport. If you are unsure of what to do check this out...

http://www2.postoffice.co.uk/counter-services/passport-identity/identity-checking-service

You will also need to attach two passport sized photographs so say CHEESE!

Having completed the application and attached the relevant documents it is time to pay (the hardest part for any Catalan) so be ready with a cheque for £400 or go onto the SRA website and download the pay by debit card form. Thereafter you will need to send everything to the SRA. If you have done everything correctly you will receive a big envelop from the SRA with your certificate of eligibility inside. This confirms that you are entitled to practise law in your home jurisdiction and have no criminal record, disciplinary actions or other issues related to your background.

The last step will be to contact Kaplan QLTS directly by email qlts@kaplan.co.uk or by phone for details of the assessment dates and venues.

I hope that is helpful, it sounds much easier than I found it to be in reality... the joy of hindsight.

As time ticks away…

Posted on July 17, 2011 by RAQUEL RODRÍGUEZ

Since I started this blog my curiosity has been focused on what concerns people about the QLTS. After doing some research I found time was a big issue. Figuring out how much preparation was needed for the QLTS exasperated students. To tell the truth I’ve been struggling with this myself. I was planning to take the Multiple Choice Test on July 7th. Unfortunately I had to postpone as I had not read through all the manuals and had not yet received one of them from the QLTS School (which I am still waiting for by the way…) The next date for the MCT hasn’t been confirmed but it is likely to be around December.

There are a few things you should take into account when making your study plan. For instance will you take a course that provides the basic information and structure or find the material and study on your own, what jurisdiction did you study in, did you study or practice with Civil or Common Law, are you a native English speaker or will you need to take the English language test, how much time do you have to dedicate to studying and is there someone who can help you if you're having problems. It also depends what kind of success you are going for. In other words, do you just want to pass the exam or do you really want to learn and understand how the English legal system operates.

In my case I decided to follow the course set out by the QLTS school. My experience with Common Law and English legal terminology was limited so I would have struggled without some guidance. I originally aimed to be ready in 3 months but will now have about 8 months to prepare for the first exam. This might seem like a long time but remember there are no classes to attend, no teachers to check with and no classmates to discuss problems with, it is just you and the material.

Although there is certainly plenty of work to do, in my opinion having a balanced life is a priority. You should not focus all your energy on studying for the QLTS and try to have some variety so when it’s time to study you feel fresh. Going out and having fun is just as important as being at home preparing for this exam. For instance, last night after my Chinese class I met with some friends for a typical English pub quiz. I was hopping to be asked about some English legal stuff… you know… like how many members are in the House of Commons or what titles the Presidents of each of the 3 High Court Divisions have… however knowing that the latest Beyonce album is called 4 would have been more helpful… Oh well… I suppose the QLTS stuff will be more useful than Beyonce in finding a job… I had a lovely time anyway! Thanks Leigh, Tina and Steve!

… And just for the record the House of Commons consists of 650 members and the Presidents of each of the 3 High Court Divisions have the following titles: QBD-Lord Chief Justice, Chancery Division-Lord Chancellor and Vice Chancellor and Family Division-The President of the Family Division.

Beware of what you are getting yourself into...

Posted on July 07, 2011 by RAQUEL RODRÍGUEZ

Here is a picture of the pile of manuals I received for my MCT preparation… and as if that wasn’t enough there is another one coming out soon! Looking forward to it!  

I have been developing a dry sense of humour since I started the QLTS.  

As you may know by now, the QLTS is a conversion process overseas Lawyers need to go through to practice in England & Wales. It is made up of three different parts: a multiple choice test (MCT) and two practical assessments; Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and Technical Legal Skills Test (TLST). The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) runs the QLTS and has appointed Kaplan as the sole assessment organization for the first three years of the operation of this scheme.  

The MCT needs to be completed before you have a chance to take the practical assessments so for now it is all I will be talking about. Consisting of 180 multiple choice questions divided into two separate three-hour sessions the MCT is no easy ride. The test is split into morning and afternoon sessions each with 90 questions. The 180 questions are divided roughly equally between the 11 Day One Outcomes which have been stated by the SRA (check this out: www.sra.org.uk/).  

This brings me to my next point; self or guided studies?  

Since I am not a native English speaker and my background in common law is limited I opted to take a preparation course with the QLTS School www.QLTS.co.uk. They offer a self study course which includes the booklets above (made by experts that are supposed to cover the 11 outcomes), some MCT sample questions and mock exams via the online system. There is a chance to access tutorials and lectures of some type also however they cost more and are not included in the basic package. If you have additional questions you can submit them for expert answers but you will be charged for each question (no idea of how much it is but I could easily find out if someone is interested). For the MCT package you will pay about £900. To have most of the information laid out in front of me has made it easier in some ways but the school is in the first year so is not running as smoothly as I expected.

I am interested in finding out how people who haven’t taken a course are doing. If that is you… please leave some feedback so we all can weight up the pros and cons.