The Professional Skills Course (PSC) is a compulsory course designed to help those training to become a solicitor develop the skill-set required of an effective lawyer. As a long standing SRA accredited provider, Altior delivers a PSC course which ensures that trainee solicitors become competent to practise and can meet the demanding needs of their clients. The course consists of 4 core modules together with 24 hours of electives (where applicable).
In addition, the SRA’s requirement to undertake a contentious seat during the training contract can be satisfied by adding Altior’s Trainee Litigation Programme to the PSC course.
Updating our offering – Client Care
Over the past few months, we have been working extremely hard to develop & update our content and we’re happy to announce to you today that our updated Client Care course is now available!
What should your trainees now expect?
Our course still ticks all the boxes required by the SRA. But as a training provider, we understand the importance of keeping content refreshed and relevant. Your trainees will receive the same level of excellence in terms of facilitated learning, but we have sharpened the focus of our course. Your trainees can expect to learn more about what good client care looks like in practice, rather than what it means from a regulatory perspective.
Audience
Key Benefits
- Flexible and convenient course format. (Live Online or Classroom based)
- Wide and varied choice of electives.
- Public courses and, in addition, provisions for the Public Sector, City firms and firms who wish to run the course in house.
- Experienced trainers delivery high quality knowledge.
- Our delegates receive a completely interactive experience using scenarios and case studies to embed learning.
- For firms specialising in commercial and corporate work, we also offer a tailored ‘City’ version of the course that delivers the PSC content using relevant case studies and scenarios.
- A certificate is issued following successful completion of the course which can be submitted to the appropriate professional awarding body.
Why Live Online?
- The ability to login from home or the office reducing travel and accommodation costs
- Short 3 hour sessions so they can fit training into their working day
- The advantage of learning in bite-sized chunks to make learning more manageable
- The ability to watch recordings of all the sessions for revision purposes
- SRA approved
Which courses are Live Online?
We currently offer the following Professional Skills Course core modules Live Online;
- Client Care & Professional Standards (4 x 3 hour sessions)
- Financial & Business Skills (6 x 3 hour sessions + a face to face 1.5 hour exam)
However, watch this space because we’ll be rolling out more courses soon!
Features
As outlined by the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority), the PSC should be completed within the 2-year training contract or within a period of recognised training. If you are exempt from recognised training, it then must be completed before admission.
The SRA no longer confines the PSC to a set schedule. Modules can be studied in the order best suited to training need as well as across varying locations and dates. To study the programme at the best pace for you, and to secure your preferred choice of electives, it is always advised to plan your PSC as early as you can.
If you are a trainee solicitor, we suggest that you complete your PSC 6-8 weeks prior to the end of your training contract to try and avoid a delay in your Roll application.
Please note the SRA does recommend that the Client Care and Professional Standards module is taken after 6 months full time or full time equivalent training to ensure the course is effective.
PSC Core Modules Classroom based.
All modules to be taken in a classroom environment at city centre locations. If this is your preferred option, book as normal.
PSC Core Modules Live Online
The only PSC provider currently offering this option. Live Online is a convenient, cost effective online option.
We currently offer the following Professional Skills Course core modules Live Online;
- Client Care & Professional Standards (4 x 3 hour sessions)
- Financial & Business Skills (6 x 3 hour sessions)
(1 x face to face FBS 1.5 hour exam still required. All Advocacy and Communication dates to remain face to face.)
PSC Electives
In addition to the Core Modules, trainees (unless exempt) must complete 24 hours of electives, at least 12 hours of which must be taken as face to face tuition. Each Altior face to face elective carries an equivalent amount of distance learning.
View a list of Elective courses.
Did you know that you can do our Higher Rights of Audience course as an alternative to the Electives?
If when you qualify, advocacy or litigation will be central to your role, then completing the Higher Rights of Audience training to fulfill the elective requirement could be an attractive option for you. You can complete the training (and take the assessments if you wish) during your training contract, and once you are admitted to the Roll, you may obtain the qualification.
View Higher Rights of Audience course.
Are you struggling to satisfy the contentious element of your training contract? Experience first-hand the litigation process and overcome the difficulties in satisfying the contentious element of the training contract with the Altior Trainee Litigation Programme (TLP). The programme has been specifically designed to expose trainee solicitors, through a variety of activities, to all the contentious practice skills standards stipulated by the SRA as being a requirement of the training contract (period of recognised training).
PSC Core Modules Live Online
The only PSC provider currently offering this option. Live Online is a convenient, cost effective online option.
We currently offer the following Professional Skills Course core modules Live Online;
- Client Care & Professional Standards (4 x 3 hour sessions)
- Financial & Business Skills (6 x 3 hour sessions)
(1 x face to face FBS 1.5 hour exam still required. All Advocacy and Communication dates to remain face to face.)
Client Care & Professional Standards
Can be taken as a 2 day face to face course or 4, 3 hour sessions Live Online.
- Appreciate the importance of professional ethics in your practice as a solicitor and gain a better understanding of what the term “Client Care” really means and involves.
- Understand the scope of the solicitors’ retainer.
- Understand your client and how to build effective working relationships with them.
- Be aware of the symptoms of poor time management and learn ways to manage your time and client matters effectively.
- Appreciate the importance of the professional regulations and sanctions imposed on all solicitors.
- Actively manage risk in your practice.
Financial & Business Skills
Can be taken as a 3 day face to face course or 6, 3 hour sessions Live Online. Includes a 1 ½ hour face to face written examination.
You need 60% to pass the exam and our pass rate is currently 99%.
- Accounting and Financial Issues
- Introduction to the Market Place
- The Regulatory Framework
- The Law Society / SRA Rules
- Money Laundering
- Mortgage Fraud
The examination for this module is split into two parts:
Part 1 – Multiple Choice (30 marks)
Part 2 – Case Studies (70 marks)
The examination is open book; therefore both the Altior FBS notes (which may be annotated) and your own notes can be taken into the examination room.
Advocacy & Communication Skills
This is a three day module. Three weeks before the start of this module, delegates are sent a case study, the facts of which they are expected to assimilate in readiness for the course. Delegates are allocated their roles on day one of the module and participate in mock trials on all three days which are assessed throughout by the trainer.
Day 1 – Guidance and team preparation for the criminal mock trial. Trial commences mid afternoon.
Day 2am – Magistrates Court – Theft trial (Lay Bench) (continued).
Day 2pm – Guidance and team preparation for the civil mock trial
Day 3 – County Court – Running down trial (Circuit Judge)
Element 1 – Trainees should be able, in the context of a civil and criminal case, to:
- Use language appropriate to the client, witnesses and triers of fact and law
- Listen, observe and interpret the behaviour of triers of fact and law, clients, witnesses and other advocates and be able to respond to this behaviour as appropriate
- Speak and question effectively and thereby competent
- Use appropriate presentational skills to open and close a case
- Use a variety of questioning skills to conduct examination in chief, cross-examination, and re-examination
- Prepare and present a coherent submission based upon facts, general principles and legal authority in a structured, concise and persuasive manner
- Present a submission as a series of propositions based on the evidence
- Organise and present evidence in a coherent and organised form
Element 2 – Trainees should be able to identify and act upon the ethical problems that arise in the course of a trial.
Assessment:
(a) You will be assessed throughout the module by your tutor and will also complete a self-assessment upon which your tutor will comment. Please keep this for future reference.
(b) You can be required to retake the advocacy module on the grounds of inadequate preparation or participation, lateness or serious professional misconduct.
(c) Our assessment of you will therefore include:
• Your level and standard of preparation
• Your advocacy
• How you perform any witness role that you are allocated
• Your input into group discussions / feedback on other delegates’ performances
In addition to the three core modules, trainees must complete 24 hours of electives, of which at least 12 hours must be face to face tuition. For more information on our elective offering, please click here.
- You will be able to deal with client care issues in a more competent manner on a day to day basis within your firms.
- You will have a better understanding of how to manage your time and client matters more effectively.
- You will have improved your ability to deal complaints and difficult clients.
- You will have improved your ability to deal with the topics discussed today when faced with issues relating to them in practice.
- You will have a better understanding of how to help manage risk within your practice.
- You will understand the financial principles used when managing company and client accounts.
- On completion of the advocacy module, trainees should be able to exercise the rights of audience available on admission in the civil and criminal courts.
Package options:
- PSC core plus 24 hours of electives (with coursework) £1275.00 (+vat)
- PSC core plus Higher Rights training £1785.00 (+vat)
- PSC core plus Higher Rights training and assessment £2185.00 (+vat)
- PSC core only (FCilex) £1085.00 (+vat)
- FBS online exam preparation module £45.00 (+vat)
Core modules and elective courses can also be sold separately, please call us on 029 2045 1000 to discuss your requirements.