‘Is it common for law firms to deduct the cost of your practising certificate from your final pay cheque?’ 

Why shouldn’t they?

They’ve paid for something that you will use in your next move that is no benefit to them.

You’re in COMMERCIAL law, not some publicly funded welfare sector.

Suck it up.

The same happened to me when leaving my last firm.

Not dodgy, but some may say petty. On the other hand, an ex girlfriend probably wouldn’t let you keep the log in to her Netflix subscription… same principle here.

The new firm (likely a competitor) would benefit from not having to fund your PC that year, so you can see why this happens. In my experience, the new firm will likely be open to repaying you whatever was deducted.

As far as I am aware – having moved firms a few times over many years – this is not a common practice.

You might want to check what your employment contract says to confirm this is an authorised deduction.

Even if the contract allows it, the annual renewal fee is £337, and it feels pretty cheap for the firm to claim any of that back. It is a cost of doing business. The practising certificate was presumably renewed from 1 November 2023, so if you’ve just resigned, the firm has already had the benefit of the fee – and the billings you have generated – for about three months since then, and perhaps another few months until the end of your notice period.

It sounds as though you’ve moved firms as a qualified solicitor at least once before, so this is not likely to be relevant: perhaps a bit more common although still relatively unusual, but there are some firms that retain a contractual right (not always enforced) to claim back some or all of the CPE/GDL/LPC/SQE cost if you are offered and take a job on qualification but then resign within a year or two.

This is shockingly petty and cheap. Didn’t happen when I left my old firm in 2022 and I thought they were as penny pinching as it gets .

Never happened to me when I was employed but it varies from firms to firms and depends on the circumstances you leave them. However, if they deduct, they should deduct proportionately; not the full PC fee.