Family Law - Advanced
Scheme membership
Only solicitors and legal executives who successfully complete the Law Society's exacting accreditation process are permitted to join the scheme as advanced members.
Family Law Accreditation Scheme members themselves should consider using advanced scheme members to handle cases that may be beyond their expertise.
Advanced scheme members have successfully completed assessments in two of the following areas of family law:
- children law private
- child abduction and wardship
- cohabitation
- violence in the home
- limited means cases
- advice in and conduct of ancillary relief proceedings
- complex asset cases
If you have any queries about scheme membership requirements, contact the Accreditation Team (t: 0870 606 2566).
Applying for advanced membership
Before you apply for advanced membership, you and your firm should carefully weigh up the requisite investment of time and effort to achieve it.
The process of gaining advanced membership is demanding. An advanced member of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme must achieve and constantly maintain the level of knowledge and expertise in family law that is expected of all scheme members; in addition, he or she must achieve and maintain expertise in specialist areas. Advanced members are therefore committed to undertaking extensive, appropriate training activities.
A major benefit of advanced membership is that the Legal Services Commission pays advanced members special rates for publicly funded cases.
Advanced membership of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme will usually be valid for an initial period of five years; advanced members will normally be subject to re-accreditation at the end of the period.
All applicants for advanced membership of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme must:
- have a minimum of five years' experience as solicitors or legal executives
- be members of the Law Society's Family Law Accreditation Scheme
- undertake a minimum number of hours of general and specialist family law work per year
If you are interested in becoming an advanced member of the scheme, please download:
- Professional accreditation schemes: application criteria and guidance notes (PDF, 86kb)
- Family Law Accreditation Scheme – guidance notes (PDF, 71kb)
- Up-to-date fee schedule (PDF, 74kb)
- Get scheme logos (members only)
These documents contain comprehensive information about applying for advanced membership.
To learn more about the standards advanced members must meet, download the knowledge and skills criteria (PDF, 83kb).
We run two assessment rounds for advanced membership each year. If after reading the information here you wish to apply, please register your interest with the Accreditation Unit (t: 0870 606 2566), who will send you the forms, assessment timetables and information that you will need in order to apply.
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 Advanced 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
At a meeting on 15 September 2008, the SRA's Education and Training Committee extended the membership of all Family Law Accreditation Scheme Advanced members to 1 January 2010.
Please contact the Accreditation Unit for information about re-accreditation.
Family Law Protocol
The Family Law Protocol was first published in March 2002 by the Law Society's Family Law Committee, with the support of the Solicitors Family Law Association, or SFLA (now Resolution – first for family law), the Lord Chancellor's Department (now the Ministry of Justice) and the Legal Services Commission.
The protocol is intended 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
Advanced members of the Family Law Accreditation Scheme are expected to comply with the requirements of the protocol.
The Family Law Protocol (third edition) is currently being produced and will be available later in 2010.