What is Training Principal?

• Acts as the firm's designated SRA contact for trainee supervision, responsible for compliance with SRA training regulations and reporting.

• Oversees the training programme, ensuring trainees get required competencies, variety of experience and documented assessments.

• Allocates supervisors and ensures supervisors provide meaningful feedback, mentoring and structured reviews.

• Approves workplace-based assessments and confirms completion of SRA outcomes and period of recognised training.

• Manages remediation where trainees fall behind, including tailored support plans and adjustments to seats.

• Balances commercial needs with educational objectives to prepare trainees for qualification as solicitors.

• Bears legal and professional responsibility for training records; poor supervision can impact firm authorisation and trainee careers.

• Must stay current with SRA rule changes, SQE implications, and firm-wide training policies to ensure regulatory compliance and quality improvement.

• Often involved in recruitment for training contracts, advising on seat allocation and assessing suitability of prospective trainees for firm culture and client work.

• Holds ultimate accountability.

The Training Principal role has its roots in the Solicitors Regulation Authority's requirement that any authorised training establishment must nominate a solicitor responsible for supervision and training quality. Historically this was framed around the traditional training contract and periods of recognised training; the role ensured consistent mentor oversight and record-keeping. The introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and ongoing SRA rule updates have changed assessment routes but not removed the need for robust workplace supervision. Firms that deliver recognised training still need a named Training Principal to certify outcomes and manage remediation. In larger firms the role is often delegated operationally but remains a formal point of regulatory accountability. Recent trends emphasise documented workplace-based assessments, competence-focused outcomes and diversity of experience, increasing the Training Principal's focus on structured learning, evidence collection and alignment with firm commercial objectives while safeguarding trainee progression and fitness to practise. It requires legal seniority.

For an aspiring solicitor the Training Principal is central to the training contract experience. Practically, trainees should understand who holds this role at their firm, how escalation and feedback routes work, and the kinds of evidence the Principal will expect for workplace-based assessments. Good relations with both seat supervisors and the Training Principal help secure varied work, timely appraisals and smooth confirmation of compliance with SRA outcomes. If performance issues arise the Training Principal organises remediation plans; knowing this process removes uncertainty and helps protect professional progression. Applying for training contracts, research firms' training structures and named Training Principals - information often found on firm profiles and platforms such as YourLegalLadder, The Law Society, the SRA website and law careers guides. Practically, gather examples of supervision and signed assessments, raise concerns early with HR or the Training Principal, and reflect structured feedback in your records to demonstrate competence when approaching qualification.

• Seat Supervisor - The colleague who gives day-to-day supervision in each seat and provides assessments that the Training Principal reviews.

• SRA Outcomes - The competence-based outcomes trainees must meet; the Training Principal certifies evidence that outcomes are satisfied and provides records on request.

• Period of Recognised Training - The formal training period underlying a training contract which the Training Principal records and confirms.

• Remediation Plan - Structured support and adjusted work allocations organised by the Training Principal when trainees fall behind.

• Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) - The central assessment route; workplace supervision still needed for practical competence and evidence collection.

Several misconceptions confuse trainees. The Training Principal is not merely an administrative signatory; they carry regulatory responsibility for supervision and remediation. They are an oversight and escalation figure rather than the daily seat supervisor. The SQE did not remove workplace supervision or the Principal's role in collecting evidence for competence. Some trainees fear that raising concerns will harm prospects, but formal escalation to the Training Principal or HR is often necessary and can be protected. The Training Principal also need not be a partner; they must be a solicitor of sufficient seniority authorised by the firm. Accountable to the SRA.