NQ questions firm’s demand to repay professional skills course costs
In the latest of our popular Career Conundrums series, a soon-to-be NQ questions their firm’s bid to claw back the cost of their professional skills course after confirming they’ll leave when their training contract ends.
“I wondered if you had come across this issue before and whether there is any authority or guidance on it. I am due to qualify as a solicitor in September 2026 via the LPC/training contract route. I have successfully completed my LPC and PSC and will be moving to another firm rather than remaining with my training firm. My understanding has always been that, under the old training contract regime, training providers were required to ensure that trainees completed the PSC and to meet the associated PSC costs. My training firm is now seeking repayment of the PSC fees under a clawback provision. Whilst I appreciate there may be contractual arguments either way, I am interested in the underlying regulatory position. Specifically, if a training establishment was required by the SRA to fund the PSC as part of the trainee’s qualification process, is there any SRA guidance, authority or industry practice on whether those fees can subsequently be recovered from the trainee through a clawback provision? I have found plenty of information confirming that firms were required to pay for the PSC, but very little addressing whether those mandatory costs can later be passed back to the trainee. I’d be very interested to hear whether this is a point that has arisen before, or whether there is any guidance or commentary on it.”
