Adaptation period route

23 January 2025

To be eligible for admission as a solicitor of England and Wales through the adaption period route, you must:

• be a Swiss lawyer (Avocat, Advokat, Rechtsanwalt, Anwalt, Fürsprecher, Fürsprech or Avvocato)
• apply to register as a registered Swiss lawyer and renew your registration annually
• complete the three-year adaptation period and be signed off by your adaptation period supervisor.

Take a look at the Professional Skills Standards for registered Swiss lawyers for more on what is required during the three-year adaptation period. We also have information for supervising solicitors.

The adaptation period is for three years, and it can be done in up to four organisations. This does not have to be in an SRA-regulated firm.

You also have other options for becoming a solicitor. Find out more about your options as a Swiss lawyer.

Applying to be a registered Swiss lawyer

Here is what you will need to do to tell us you want to be admitted through the adaptation period route:

Create a mySRA account and add your jurisdictions

Create a mySRA account and tell us you are a qualified lawyer. You do this in the 'My profile' section under 'Jurisdiction'. Please click 'add jurisdiction', select your professional title, and add the date you qualified. Find out how to get a mySRA account.

Complete the registered Swiss lawyer application

You will also need to tell us where you are starting your adaptation period and who will be supervising you. You must register with us in advance by completing this application.

The fee for this registration is dependent on the date your application is considered and determined. For more information about our fees.

Changing your organisation or supervisor

If you need to change your organisation or supervisor, please contact us so we can update your records.

Renewing your registration

You will need to renew your RSL registration continuously throughout the three-year period until you have successfully completed the adaptation period. This renewal takes place in October of each year.

We will contact you about this before the renewal window.

Applying to be admitted after completing the three-year adaptation period

Once you have done your three-year adaptation period, you will need to complete the following requirements before applying for admission.

Check and validate your degree

Your degree must be a UK degree or equivalent level 6 qualification and can be in any subject. You can also apply for equivalence to a degree using other qualifications and/or relevant work experience. Find out how we check and validate your degree or apply for an equivalence.

English or Welsh language assessment

You will need to demonstrate your English or Welsh language competence before applying for admission. Find out more.

Checking your suitability

Before applying for admission, you must do your background screening and have your results Take a look at what we check and find out how to apply for screening.

Applying for admission

You can apply to be admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales by completing the 'Admission following completion of an adaptation period' application below.

As part of this application, you will be asked to give us a copy of a certificate of good standing from all jurisdictions where you hold a legal professional qualification and have been admitted. The certificate(s) must be less than three months old (we recommend that the date of issue is no longer than two months on the date you make your application) and confirm:

• your date of admission
• that you are in good standing
• that you have not been subject to any disciplinary proceedings
  • that there are not any pending disciplinary proceedings against you
  • that you are currently entitled to practise.

The application fee is £500.

Applying as an RSL with less than three years

If you have registered with us continually as an RSL for less than three years, you have part completed the adaptation period, and have:

• evidence of exceptional professional experience which means that you can meet the criteria for admission, or
• you were previously registered with us as an RSL
• and you wish to use this time to count towards the completion of the adaptation period, please email us detailing your exceptional circumstances as well as how you meet the criteria below.

You must also have been:

• effectively and regularly practising English and Welsh law under your Swiss professional title in England and Wales for three years working to complete the adaptation period under supervision, or
• effectively and regularly practising under your Swiss professional title in England and Wales for three years, practising English and Welsh law for part of that time and have other exceptional experience in English and Welsh law, or
• you were previously registered with the SRA as an REL (as defined under The Services of Lawyers and Lawyer's Practice (Revocation etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 and you wish to use this time to count towards the completion of the adaptation period.

We apply the same definition for 'effectively and regularly' as is used for 'effectively and regularly pursued' under regulation 33 of The European Communities (Lawyer's Practice) Regulations 2000. This means without any interruption other than that resulting from the events of everyday life.