Family Law
Download application documents
Scheme membership
Solicitors and legal executives apply for Family Law Accreditation Scheme membership by completing a detailed questionnaire that assesses their knowledge and experience in family law and related matters.
Every five years, practitioners must renew their membership under the re-accreditation process. Scheme members are expected to comply with the requirements of the Family Law Protocol. The aims of the Family Law Protocol are to:
- encourage a constructive and conciliatory approach to the resolution of family disputes
- encourage the narrowing of the issues in dispute and the effective and timely resolution of disputes
- endeavour to minimise any risks to the parties and/or the children, and to alert the client to treat safety as a primary concern,
- have regard to the interests of the children and long-term family relationships
- endeavour to ensure that costs are not unreasonably incurred
If you have any queries about scheme membership requirements, contact the Accreditation Team (t: 0870 606 2566).
If you are already a member, view information about maintaining membership, known as re-accreditation.Applying for scheme membership
There are two routes to membership:
If you are a solicitor or legal executive and are interested in becoming a member of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme, please download:
- Professional accreditation schemes: application criteria and guidance notes (PDF, 86kb)
- Family Law Accreditation Scheme – guidance notes (PDF, 71kb)
These documents contain comprehensive information about applying for membership. After reading them, you should complete and submit:
- application form (PDF, 37kb)
- assessment sheets (PDF, 151kb)
Assessment route
The assessment route to membership of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme is open to experienced family law practitioners.
Assessment route applicants must:
- have completed at least 350 hours of family law work per year during the previous three years
- submit a detailed application about their family law practice to the Law Society (applications are graded by independent assessors)
- provide details of two referees.
Interview route
The interview route is open to family law practitioners who have not accumulated sufficient experience to apply via the assessment route.
Interview route applicants must:
- have completed at least 1,000 hours of general litigation within the past three years
- have completed at least 350 hours of family law work within the past five years
- submit a detailed application about their family law practice (applications are graded by independent assessors)
- provide details of two referees
- be interviewed by two independent family law assessors
Useful links
Resolution – first for family law
More than 5,000 solicitors belong to Resolution – first for family law (formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association, or SFLA). Resolution members are committed to promoting a non-confrontational atmosphere in which family law matters are dealt with in a sensitive, constructive and cost-effective way.
The Law Society has a dedicated website for accreditation scheme members which offers secure access to the Family Law Accreditation Scheme logo.
Download or order the latest version of the Law Society's Family Law Protocol.
Continuing professional development
The Law Society requires all Family Law Accreditation Scheme members to familiarise themselves with changes in law, practice and procedure, by completing six hours of family law-related continuing professional development (CPD) training per year throughout their period of membership.
As part of the re-accreditation process, we require scheme members to supply details of CPD training they have completed during the period of their membership.
Re-accreditation
Scheme membership doesn't last for ever: every few years, it must be renewed. We call this process re-accreditation.
Re-accreditation is a way of assuring consumers that members of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme always meet the requirements for membership.
Family Law Accreditation Scheme membership lasts for five years.
All solicitors undertake appropriate training and development activities every year, as stipulated by our continuing professional development requirements.
Please contact the Accreditation Unit for information about re-accreditation.