Learning and Development Policy (Dec25)

Introduction

Learning and development is crucial to ensure the continuing competence of us all, which is an integral part of the firm’s obligations to provide a proper standard of service. It is also vital to the future and growth of the firm in ensuring that it achieves its overall objectives.

Good learning and development opportunities are also important for job satisfaction and performance.

1. Purpose

The aim of this policy is to set out our approach to learning and development and to explain what is expected of you when undertaking and seeking learning and development opportunities.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all employees in The Eric Whitehead Partnership, including managers, consultants and any third-party that this policy has been communicated to.

3. Responsibility

Nicola Robinson is responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing our learning and development needs; they are also responsible for this policy and monitoring our compliance with it.

Directors should mentor and train those they supervise in their daily work (for example by delegating work effectively, explaining the issues involved, and giving timely, clear and constructive feedback). They are also expected to identify training opportunities for those they manage. They may be expected to deliver training sessions for the benefit of staff.

Everyone is expected to show commitment to their own development. For fee earners that may include reading journals and updating services, attending training, writing articles and practice notes, and seeking opportunities to do work from which they can learn.

SRA Requirements

The SRA requires solicitors to maintain their competence by keeping their knowledge and skills up to date, including their understanding of any relevant legal, ethical and regulatory obligations relevant to their role. To meet this requirement, the SRA expects you to:

1. Take responsibility for your own learning and development.
2. Reflect – regularly consider the quality of your practice in all aspects of your role, including your technical legal knowledge, working with others, clients, and your ethical and professional obligations. This includes awareness and application of any warning notices and guidance issued by the SRA that are relevant to your work.
3. Identify – through reflection, identify your learning and development needs.

3. Plan and address – regularly update a plan on how you will address your learning and development needs.
4. Record – keep an up-to-date record of your learning and development activity including how you identified your learning and development needs.
5. Evaluate – think about the effectiveness of your learning and development
6. Maintain an adequate and up to date understanding of relevant law, policy and practice.
7. Adapt your practice to address developments in the delivery of legal services.
8. Make an annual declaration on renewal of your practising certificate to confirm that you have completed these obligations. When making your declaration, you will need to confirm that:

• • you have an up to date understanding of the legal, ethical and regulatory obligations relevant to your role
  • you have reflected on your practice and addressed any identified learning and development needs
  • you are competent to perform your role.
  • you are acting honestly and with integrity and can evidence your competence.

You should retain records of how you identified your learning and development needs, the activities you have undertaken, and your reflection on their effectiveness. This evidence may be requested by the SRA to support your declaration.

For further guidance on making your annual declaration and meeting continuing competence obligations, refer to the SRA’s continuing competence resources.

This is in addition to the general duties set out in the SRA Codes of Conduct:

• Paragraph 3.3 of the Code for Solicitors: ‘you maintain your competence to carry out your role and keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date.’
• Paragraph 4.2 of the Code for Firms: ‘You ensure that the service you provide to clients is competent and delivered in a timely manner, and takes account of your client’s attributes, needs and circumstances.’
• Paragraph 4.3 of the Code for Firms: ‘You ensure that your managers are competent to carry out their role, and keep their professional knowledge and skills, as well as understanding of their legal, ethical and regulatory obligations up to date.

4. Appropriate training

We are committed to providing appropriate training to ensure that we are competent to perform the tasks that we are responsible for and that our employees satisfy their regulatory obligations with respect to learning and development.

The appendices to this policy set out mandatory core training requirements for all practice areas, as well as specific practice areas. There are also recommendations for optional additional training/resources which employees may wish to familiarise themselves with to broaden their knowledge and skill set.

Additional training needs will be considered during:

• Interviews
• Induction – to cover immediate training requirements and key policies applicable to the firm and the specific area of work. (see the People Management Procedures document for more information on the firm’s induction procedure).
• 1-to-1 meetings with supervisors/line managers
• Appraisals

Appropriate training will also be considered as part of a number of performance reflections across our firm, including:

• Firm-wide performance, including a review of our biggest risks, recent breaches, claims and complaints data, client feedback, compliance plan and profitability data.
• Department performance, including a review of departmental compliance data and risk assessments, plus upcoming changes to the practice areas.
• Individual performance, including information from appraisals, file reviews and other supervision-related data.
• Requests from personnel for training.

You are encouraged to review your own learning and development needs regularly and bring any training requirements to the attention of Nicola Robinson.

5. Appropriate training for supervisors and managers

Role specific training is also available to all managers and supervisors to help them further their management and supervisory skills. Such training needs will be assessed by us using the methods described above, however, you should feel free to request further support at any time. Contact Nicola Robinson if you would like to discuss managerial or supervisory training needs.

6. External training

Proposals for an employee to attend external training should first be discussed by that individual and their supervisor.  Before any course is booked, approval should also be obtained from Nicola Robinson.  This is to ensure the expenditure is appropriate and within our training budget, and so that the most effective and appropriate training may be obtained.

After attending external training, you must:

• Report on the quality and relevance of the training that you received;
• Pass on any useful precedents or training notes (so far as copyright allows) to others in your department who may find them useful; and
• Explain the main issues and learning points covered – provided they are relevant and useful – at the next department meeting.

7. Training records

We must all maintain records of our own learning and development; this can be done by using the Access Learning and recording training on our training record.

We, as a firm, also maintain central training records, to evidence compliance with the competency requirements set out in the SRA Codes of Conduct (as outlined above), therefore you must ensure that you send details of all training that you complete to Nicola Robinson so that the central record can be updated.

Solicitors can take any learning approach (formal or informal) and complete as little or as much training as they want to, provided that they can demonstrate the competencies required by the SRA statement of solicitor competence, which involves reflecting on development needs and drawing up and implementing a learning and development plan.

8. Training evaluation

Nicola Robinson is responsible for conducting an annual review of the effectiveness of training and development activity. The annual review will cover:

 Resources committed to training;

• Benefits of training and development undertaken e.g. skills developed; goals achieved; and the expected contribution made by training and development to the achievement of our goals; and
• Planned changes to the learning and development approach i.e. using more cost-effective training methods such as videos and e-learning courses.

9. Learning and development plans

Nicola Robinson is responsible for developing and monitoring the firm’s overarching annual learning and development plan.

The firm’s plan is determined in line with training needs identified (using the methods highlighted above) and will be reviewed quarterly to ensure that it continues to meet our business objectives.

Learning and development plans for individual employees in a fee earning role will be agreed with line managers/heads of department.

10. Training Requirements

Fee Earners across all Practice Areas – Mandatory Core Training Requirements:

Support Staff across all Practice Areas – Mandatory Core Training Requirements:

Managers – Mandatory Additional Training

Mandatory Training Requirements for all fee earners and relevant support staff working in the Conveyancing Department:

Mandatory Training Requirements for all fee earners working in the Wills and Probate/ Private Client Department

Mandatory Training Requirements for all finance staff:

 CQS – Optional Additional Training 

Review of this policy

This policy will be reviewed at least annually by Nicola Robinson

December 2025