A developing project
Evidencing continuing competence for solicitors and barristers in England and Wales.
Why
The regulators for barristers and solicitors require lawyers to maintain their competence and to be able to demonstrate it. The SRA Statement of Solicitor Competence and the BSB Professional Statement for Barristers set out what that competence consists of. What neither profession has is a straightforward way of recording practice against those frameworks. Recording is about to matter more: the SRA has consulted on introducing a rule requiring solicitors to keep a record of their learning and development.
What it does
Beyond Competence is an online tool for individual solicitors and barristers. It maps learning and development activity onto the regulators’ own competence frameworks, prompts the reflection those frameworks require, and produces a record the practitioner can keep and produce on request.
It follows four stages: review, record, reflect, report.
The record belongs to the practitioner and travels with them between firms and chambers. Where a firm or chambers needs sight of it, whether for supervision or for its own assurance, that access is granted by the practitioner.
The future
The project is being built to take the friction out of developing and recording competence against the professional standards, and to let practitioners, firms and chambers assure themselves of their own competence and that of their teams in a demonstrable, evidence-based way. Supervisory views for firms and chambers, and portability of a practitioner’s record between organisations, are both planned, on the same principle throughout: the practitioner holds the record and the organisation sees it by grant.
Charitable intent
A community interest company will hold a ring fenced shareholding of 14% in Beyond Competence Limited, so a defined share of what the project earns is committed from the outset to widening access to justice and access to the professions, rather than depending on later donation. Practitioners who use the tool are funding that work.
Where the project has got to
A working prototype covering both professions has been built and is being tested by practising solicitors and barristers. The product is not yet commercially available. This page will be updated when that changes, and you will be able to register an interest then. For now it collects no information about you.
Who is behind it
Beyond Competence is a product of Beyond Competence Limited, a subsidiary of Beyond Compliance Limited. Its Founder and Managing Director, Michaela Hardwick, is a regulatory solicitor who advises barristers, solicitors and chambers on compliance, competence and professional ethics.
Independence
Beyond Competence is not approved, endorsed, accredited or authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Bar Standards Board, the Legal Services Board or any other regulator or professional body. Nothing on this page is regulatory advice or a statement of any regulator’s position.
Enquiries
By email to enquiries@beyondcompetence.co.uk. There is no form on this page and no newsletter to join yet.