There are three routes to becoming a solicitor in Scotland.
The Standard Route
If you choose to follow the standard route, you will have to complete the four-year LLB. Following your LLB, you will have to study the Diploma in Professional Practice, which is a one-year course which will develop your professional skills and will prepare you for the last step, your two-year traineeship under the supervision of a qualified Scottish solicitor.
The Non-Law Graduate Route
The second route one can take is designed for those who did not study law at the undergraduate level. As such, if you have a previous undergraduate non-law degree, you can apply to study the accelerated two-year LLB. At the end of the accelerated LLB, you will have to study the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, followed by a two-year traineeship.
The Pre-PEAT Training Contract
The last route is the pre-PEAT training contract. This is mostly targeted at those that did not study an LLB at an undergraduate level but are working in a solicitor’s office and want to qualify. If you choose this route, you will have to work in a solicitor’s office whilst also studying for exams and completing the Work Based Learning Module set by the Law Society of Scotland, which is the Scottish regulator.