51±¾É«

Qualifying as a Solicitor

, located in Blackhall Place, Dublin, is the professional body for solicitors and exercises functions relating to the education, admission, enrolment, discipline, and regulation of the solicitors’ profession. Graduates must take the following steps to qualify as a solicitor in Ireland:

  • FE-1/Final Examination-First Part (entrance exam)
  • Secure a training contract (an apprenticeship) and complete in-house training
  • Complete the Professional Practice Courses (PPC I & PPC II)
  • Seek admission to the Roll of Solicitors

FE-1/Final Examination-First Part (entrance exam)

To qualify as a solicitor in Ireland graduates must first pass an entrance examination, also known as the Final Examination/ First Part (FE-1). This exam is held twice a year, normally in Spring and Autumn and consists of eight papers:

  1. Company Law
  2. Constitutional Law
  3. Law of Contract
  4. Criminal Law
  5. European Union Law
  6. Equity
  7. Real Property
  8. Law of Tort

All of the examinable subjects are offered by the School of Law in the 51±¾É«.* Students wishing to have the advantage of having studied the core FE-1 subjects at university should ensure that they take the relevant subjects during the course of their degree through their core law modules, chosen elective, or as additional subjects.

Timing of training contract

Following the completion of the FE1s, graduates must find a suitable (practising) solicitor to act as a training solicitor (secure a training contract) and complete the Professional Practice Course I (PPC I). The training contracts begin 14 days after the completion of the PPC I.

Timetable

  1. Professional Practice Course I (PPC I) 7 months.
  2. In-office training post-PPC I 11 months
  3. Attendance on PPC II 3 months
  4. In-office training post-PPC II 10 months

 has further information on becoming a solicitor. The above information is provided for information only and as regular alterations to the entry requirements for the professional bodies occur students are advised to keep abreast of any developments in this regard.

*Please note that the choice of electives is subject to continual change and not all electives may be available due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, scheduling and resource limitations.