Continuing Competence 2027 Update - Can You Sign the SRA Declaration with Confidence?

Introduction

October is the time of year when all solicitors must be able to sign the declaration to renew their practising certificate. The declaration will ask if you have reflected on and addressed any identified learning and development needs. Can you confidently sign the declaration?

Continuing competence applies to all solicitors who have a practising certificate, including those that work in the UK and overseas.

The SRA published its latest Annual Assessment of Continuing Competence on 20 August 2026. The assessment provides an updated picture of how effectively solicitors are maintaining their competence and highlights areas in which further improvement may be required.

The SRA has also indicated that it intends to consult on strengthening continuing competence requirements, as concerns remain about whether all solicitors are reflecting properly on their practice and addressing their learning and development needs.

To ensure that law firms are taking this seriously in line with Section 3.3 of the Code of Conduct for Solicitors and Section 4.3 of the Code of Conduct for Firms, the SRA is going to take a more onerous and intrusive approach to the assessment of continuing competence, which may include spot checks, audits, and file reviews.

It is not enough to simply list the courses you have attended and when. There needs to be a record of how and why the learning and development was required and whether the activity has addressed the original need.

The SRA have recently released new templates for recording your reflection and learning and development needs. So, what do your continuing competence records look like? Are you reflecting on your learning and development needs? Are you undertaking the correct training for your requirements?

Presented by expert speaker Jo Morris, this virtual classroom seminar will provide you with practical and easy to understand suggestions for how continuing competence can work for you.

What You Will Learn

This live and interactive session will cover the following:

• What is meant by ‘continuing competence’ - a recap of the old and new system
• An overview of the findings and implications of the SRA’s Annual Assessment of Continuing Competence 2026
• The Competence Statement:
• A statement of solicitor competence
• The threshold statement
• A statement of legal knowledge
• What the SRA expects you to do:
• Reflect
• Plan
• Complete
• Evaluate
• Record
• Annual declaration
• Using the flexibility of the continuing competence regime and its wider range of permitted learning activities
• Record keeping - what records are required to demonstrate competence including templates
• Reporting to the SRA on your annual declaration
• Preparing for greater regulatory scrutiny, including possible spot checks, audits and file reviews
• The future of continuing competence - the SRA’s proposed consultation and what may happen next

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.