Information for other lawyers not practising in Scotland

If you are a barrister in England & Wales, or in Northern Ireland, who has completed a full period of pupillage, or if you are a legal practitioner from another EU Member State, the pathway to becoming an Advocate is as follows.

You must matriculate as an Intrant:  the Regulations as to Intrants specify the criteria which must be met in order to do this. 

You must pass the Aptitude Test, which is a combination of written and oral examinations (full details are to be found in the Regulations).  This may be undertaken at any of the Faculty’s examination diets (which are in February, May and October).  

Although there is no compulsory period of pupillage for candidates in these categories, candidates generally find it useful to undertake an informal period of pupillage and the Faculty will assist in facilitating such an arrangement.

Further details are set out in the Faculty’s Admission Regulations.

If you would like more information please contact the Faculty of Advocates.

Information for legal practitioners from other jurisdictions who are interested in transferring to the Scottish bar.

The pathway for legal practitioners from other jurisdictions who are interested in transferring to the Scottish bar also begins with matriculation (see above).

The process thereafter either requires satisfaction of the ordinary requirements for entry to Faculty as set out in the Regulations as to Intrants, or an exemption from one or more of those requirements.

Applications by legal practitioners from other jurisdictions will be considered on an individual basis and those interested in transferring to the Scottish Bar are encouraged to contact the Dean’s Secretariat in the first instance to discuss their circumstances, or to request further information.