In order to go on secondment, you must demonstrate that the work would be advantageous to further your education or training (or both) and to your preparation for admission to the solicitor’s profession.
The secondment should be undertaken in one block. There is no minimum time limit but a secondment cannot be for more than six months. The needs of your office will have to be considered together with the demands of the secondment placement.
There is an exciting range of work that can be undertaken during the course of a secondment and no limit to what would be considered suitable providing it satisfies the test set out above. A secondment could be an opportunity for you to experience a totally new area of law, or a new culture if take abroad. It could help you in shaping your career without burning any bridges or having to make any major commitments. A secondment is only temporary. You always have the security of knowing that you return to the office of your training solicitor when the secondment is over.
In some cases, secondments are compulsory, particularly if your training solicitor cannot offer you experience in the key areas of legal practice. If your training solicitor cannot offer you experience in the key areas, they are required to declare this to the Law Society when seeking consent to enter into Indentures. Your training solicitor should also assist you in finding a suitable secondment.
Generally, the office to which you are seconded will pay your salary rather than your primary training solicitor/office.
If you would like to explore the possibility of going on secondment, you should first talk to your training solicitor. There is no obligation on a training solicitor to allow you to go on secondment. For many practices, it would be unworkable for a trainee to be absent from the office for a lengthy period of time.
Secondment applications
Applications to go on secondment require the consent of the Law Society. Before any request to go on secondment is granted, the Law Society will check that the application has the consent of the training solicitor.
Applications for secondments are submitted to the Law Society through the Traineeship Section and require the following –
- Secondment application form signed by all 3 parties
- Fee of €60
The application form must give details as to when the secondment is due to start and finish. The reason for the secondment should also be explained. The application can be emailed to TraineeSection@LawSociety.ie.
>It is important that you provide full details on the Secondment Application form including the start and finish dates of the secondment; and the reasons for the secondment. You should provide details of the experience/ training you would receive whilst on secondment.
Applications must be submitted to the Traineeship Section well in advance of the proposed secondment. Please note that it is a requirement of the Training Contract that you are in the office of your training solicitor on a “continuous and full-time” basis. Therefore, leaving the office without the consent of the Law Society is a breach of the regulations. In addition, until consent is granted you cannot be sure that the move you seek will be approved. A refusal by the Law Society could lead to you not only breaching the Training Contract but also finding that the time spent at another office will be disregarded when assessing the qualification time. A retrospective secondment application will need to be heard by the Education Committee and the fee of €375. Decisions on these applications are made on a case-by-case basis.
Once the secondment has been approved a Secondment Consent letter will be emailed to all 3 parties.
When the secondment has come to an end you will be required to submit an additional letter from your secondment supervisor. This letter must provide details of the duration of the secondment and the experience gained. The letter can be emailed to the Traineeship Section TraineeSection@LawSociety.ie.
Securing a secondment
In some cases, your training solicitor will arrange the secondment. This might be because the solicitor wishes to ensure that you receive experience in all the key areas of perhaps because of a long-standing agreement between a firm in Ireland and another firm abroad. Otherwise, finding a secondment is up to you.
The best way to secure a secondment is word-of-mouth. Talking to friends or colleagues about vacancies or opportunities is a good way to start. You can make direct contact with companies or firms, but you should make it clear what you are seeking. Remember that firms can be inundates with students seeking training contracts. Consider placing an advert in the Gazette – the rates are very reasonable, and the advert will reach every solicitor in the country. Firms might have a greater need for a trainee just after the PPC has started, as their trainee may have left them to join the course.
