Which criminal offences would prevent practice as solicitor or barrister?
There is no automatic bar for qualifying or practising as a solicitor, as each case is considered on an individual basis. When students enrol for student membership at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, they must declare any information that might affect their suitability to be a solicitor. Failure to do so may have serious implications. Such information includes any criminal conviction, including official cautions, reprimands and final warnings, even if they are spent; any instance of cheating in exams or plagiarism during a course of study; any County Court judgements; declarations of bankruptcy (even if they have been satisfied) or evidence of inability to manage financial affairs; and any other incident in which a student’s character has been called to question. In these circumstances students will be asked to supply written confirmation of the relevant issues, and may be asked to appear before a Solicitors Regulation Authority adjudicator to explain the situation. If such matter
