Ireland had clamped down, following a rush of solicitors eager to keep their EU practising rights in the run up to Brexit.
From 22 March, however, solicitors can requalify by simply applying for a certificate of admission with the Law Society of Ireland just as they could prior to the end of the Brexit transition period. Practising certificates will only be issued where the solicitor is based in the Republic of Ireland.
The announcement followed confirmation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) that Irish solicitors will be fully exempt from the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) when the new exam is introduced in September, as well as continuing to be fully exempt from the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme under the current regime.
Welcoming the announcement, Law Society of England and Wales president I. Stephanie Boyce said: ‘English and Welsh solicitors were for many years able to requalify in Ireland without sitting any exam, but the direct admission route to the Irish profession was based on the framework for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications under the EU directives and therefore expired when the Brexit transition period ended on 31st December 2020.’
The Irish government introduced a Statutory Instrument in early 2021 that enabled the Law Society of Ireland (LSI) to reinstate direct admission of English and Welsh solicitors subject to reciprocity.
