TRANSFER TEST REGULATIONS
This form is for use by the following categories of applicants applying for a Certificate of Eligibility to take the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test: 1. Admitted to the Bar of England and Wales
2. Admitted to the Bar of Northern Ireland
3. Admitted as an attorney in New York (with one year post qualification experience ‘PQE’
in New York)
4. Admitted as an attorney in California (with one year PQE in California)
5. Admitted as an attorney in Pennsylvania (with five years PQE in Pennsylvania) 6. Admitted as a solicitor in NSW
8. Admitted as a solicitor in New Zealand
9. A person whose second or subsequent place of qualification as a solicitor is England and
Wales (with less than three years PQE as a solicitor in England and Wales)
10. A person whose second or subsequent place of qualification as a solicitor is Northern
Ireland (with less than three years PQE as a solicitor in Northern Ireland)
11. A person (formerly a barrister) whose first place of qualification as a solicitor is England
and Wales (with less than three years PQE as a solicitor in England and Wales)
12. A person (formerly a barrister) whose first place of qualification as a solicitor is Northern
Ireland (with less than three years PQE as a solicitor in Northern Ireland)
13. Admitted as a lawyer in an EFTA member state ie Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,
Switzerland
14. Admitted as a lawyer in a EU member state ie Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, England and Wales, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. (please circle relevant country).
15. Lawyers (not formerly a barrister) whose first place of qualification as a Solicitor is
THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM
(Official translations of ALL documents submitted, which are not in English, must be provided)
1. An ORIGINAL Certificate of Good Standing from your professional body/bodies in
the jurisdiction(s) where you have been admitted. These must be dated no more than three months prior to your application – See Page 4.
2. Three character references are required. They should make reference to your
competence to practise. (See Page 4)
3. Please note that where there is a pqe requirement, a letter from an employer or former employer (in your jurisdiction of qualification) which confirms the duration and the nature of the pqe, should also be submitted with the Certificate of Eligibility application form.
4. Proof of nationality (eg certified copy of passport * see below).
5. Certified copies of your original certificate(s) evidencing your professional
qualification(s). (*see below)
6. Certified copies of your original certificate(s) reflecting the higher education academic
qualifications that you have been awarded. (*see below)
7. An affidavit in the form attached averring that you have never been bankrupt in your
home or in any other jurisdiction and that you have never compounded with your creditors (if that be the case).
8. Declaration in the form attached.
9. Fee of €430 – Cheques/Bank Drafts should be made payable to the Law Society of
Ireland. No other form of payment is acceptable.
Please note that where documents are not in the English language, certified translations by an official translator are required.
Please forward Applications to:
*CERTIFIED COPIES OF DOCUMENTS:
In the case of academic qualifications and passports, applicants may supply certified copies. Copies may be certified by a practising lawyer, Embassy, Consulate or High Commissioner (Commissioner for Oaths) in the jurisdiction where you are admitted as a lawyer (i.e. reciprocal jurisdiction) or Ireland and must be in English.
*The Law Society of Ireland must have a reciprocal agreement with the jurisdiction in which your documents are certified. The copies must be dated and signed and must include the following statement ‘I certify that this is a true copy of the original
(Title of Document) belonging to (your name) placed before me ”Signature and Address of Notary & date’. Information, such as, your name, address and date of
birth etc., must be clearly stated in English. When copying passports you do not need to include any blank pages or pages containing visa stamps.
READ BEFORE COMPLETING THE APPLICATION
CERTIFICATES OF GOOD STANDING
Original (non-copy) certificate(s) of good standing must be received by the Law
Society of Ireland no more than three months after its date of issue. Certificates of Good Standing are required from all the jurisdictions where you have been admitted.
The Law Society may contact your Professional Body for verification of the authenticity of your Certificate(s) of Good Standing.
REFERENCES
Three Character references are required - they should make reference to your competence to practice.
All referees, who may not be members of your family, must have known you well for two years or more and the references should so state.
Two of the references must be from practising solicitors of at least five years
standing in the Republic of Ireland or *in the jurisdiction where you are already qualified/admitted and both referees must confirm this fact in the reference.
They should also make reference to your competence to practice.
* Your jurisdiction of qualification must be a jurisdiction which Ireland has a reciprocal
agreement with (see above).
If you are currently in employment one of the references must be from your current employer (i.e. the person to whom you report) even if you have been with
the firm for less than two years). References from colleagues in this regard are not acceptable.
Tutors/lecturers who have taught you on preparatory courses will not be accepted as referees.
NOTES
Any variations to the above requirements – will necessitate a written application to the Education Committee.
From time to time the Law Society may require additional information or documents regarding your certificate of eligibility. The Law Society may contact you or your referees in this regard.
1. PERSONAL DETAILS Surname: -________________________________________________________ First Name ________________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Nationality: __________________________________________ Date of Birth: __________________________________________ Place of Birth: __________________________________________ Permanent Address:________________________________________ ______________________________________________________
Address to which all correspondence should be sent (if different from Permanent address)
_________________________________________________________________________
Telephone .(Office hours)____________________________________________________
Fax No. __________________________________________________________________
2. EDUCATION DETAILS
Please provide titles and details of all professional qualifications held and the jurisdictions in which they were gained.
Title e.g. Solicitor
Jurisdiction Date of Admission / Call e.g. admitted to Roll of Solicitors
Professional Examinations passed and courses attended (i.e. Solicitors Qualifying Examinations): -
College/Centre where the course was taught and/or
examinations sat
Title of Qualification Awarded
Date Certificate Awarded
Degrees, Diplomas held:
University/College Title of Qualification Date Course Commenced
Date Certificate Awarded
3. PLEASE MAKE THE FOLLOWING DECLARATIONS:-
1. Have you ever been made bankrupt?
Yes □ No □
If YES please supply details on a separate sheet and state whether you have been discharged and, if so, when.
2. Do you have a conviction, or a charge pending, for any crime (other than a motoring offence not resulting in disqualification) or has the Probation Act been applied in respect of any charge against you?
Yes □ No □
If YES please supply details on a separate sheet and you should ensure that at least one of your referees is a person who has full knowledge of the conviction(s) and that this is indicated in their reference.
3. Have you at any time been found guilty of professional misconduct by a disciplinary tribunal or are any proceedings before a disciplinary tribunal pending?
Yes□ No □
If YES please supply details on a separate sheet
4. Have you at any time been suspended from professional practise by your professional body?
Yes □ No □
If YES please supply details on a separate sheet
5. Have you made an application to the Honourable Society of Kings Inns to qualify as a barrister in the Republic of Ireland?
Yes □ No □
If YES please supply details on a separate sheet
6. Have you now, or have you had, a mental illness or psychiatric disturbance?
Yes □ No □
If YES please supply details on a separate sheet
7. Have you the required one year post-qualification experience, if the jurisdiction where you are admitted/qualified to practice is either New York or California?
Yes □ No □
Please attach letter/reference confirming this
8. Have you the required five years post-qualification experience, if the jurisdiction where you are admitted/qualified to practice is Pennsylvania?
Yes □ No □
4. PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE
Please provide details of your professional training, practice and experience to date. If you have been out of legal practice for any period since your qualification please provide details.
Full name & Address of Supervising/Training Master/ Employer/Place of Practice Dates (Month – year)
5. DETAILS RELATING TO YOUR HOME JURISDICTION(S) PROFESSIONAL STATUS Are you entitled to practise in your home jurisdiction? Yes □ No □ Home jurisdiction is the jurisdiction(s) where you are currently admitted
If you are not entitled to practise in your home jurisdiction (e.g. because you do not hold a current practising certificate or you are not on the current practising register) please provide an explanation below stating:
(i) The reason why you are not entitled to practise in your home jurisdiction;
(ii) Whether you know of any reason why, if you were to apply to become entitled to practise in your home jurisdiction, such an application would be refused.
5. REFERENCES
Three Character references are required - they should make reference to your competence to practice.
All referees, who may not be members of your family, must have known you well for two years or more and the reference should so state.
Two of the references must be from practising solicitors of at least five years
standing in the Republic of Ireland or *in the jurisdiction where you are already qualified/admitted and both referees must confirm this fact in the reference.
They should also make reference to your competence to practice.
* Your jurisdiction of qualification must be a jurisdiction which Ireland has a reciprocal
agreement with (see above).
If you are currently in employment one of the references must be from your current employer (i.e. the person to whom you report) even if you have been with
the firm for less than two years). References from colleagues in this regard are not
acceptable.
Tutors/lecturers who have taught you on preparatory courses will not be accepted as referees.
Any variations to the above requirements will necessitate a written application to the
Referee three: Name:
Address:
OCCUPATION:
NOTE: REMEMBER TO ENCLOSE THE ORIGINAL REFERENCES WITH YOUR APPLICATION.
Name and Address of Solicitor/Commissioner certifying documents. Name:
Address:
OCCUPATION:
STATUTORY DECLARATION
I understand that the Law Society of Ireland must be advised if, prior to my admission to the Roll of Solicitors, I am convicted of an offence in any Court (other than a motoring offence not resulting in disqualification).
I therefore undertake that I will notify the Society of any such convictions after the time of this application.
I also undertake to advise the Society if I become bankrupt or if I am found guilty of professional misconduct or if any proceedings are taken against me.
Signature of Applicant: ___________________________________
Date: ____________________________________
I hereby apply for a Certificate of Eligibility and sincerely declare that the facts set out by me in support of the above application are true. I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835.
Signature of applicant: ____________________________________________________
Declared before me by the said ______________________________________________ who is personally known to me at ____________________________________________
this ____________ day of __________________________ 20_______.
________________________________________________
PRECEDENT
A FF I D A V I T O F S O L V E N C Y
I,________________________________________of_______________________________ __________________________________________________ aged eighteen years and upwards hereby make oath and say:
1. I have never been adjudicated bankrupt in the jurisdiction of _________________ [jurisdiction in which you reside] or any other jurisdiction.
2. I have not either in the jurisdiction of __________________________ [jurisdiction in which you reside] or in any other jurisdiction compounded with or entered into any arrangements with my creditors.
________________________________ DEPONENT SWORN AT: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ this __________ day of ____________20___
before me a Commissioner for Oaths/Lawyer empowered to administer Oaths and I know the Deponent.
____________________________________
COMMISSIONER FOR OATHS / LAWYER
6. APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTIONS FROM SUBJECT(S) COMPRISING THE QLTT
Applicants who qualified as a Lawyer in an EU jurisdiction are automatically exempt from EU Law in the QLTT.
Nationals of EU Member States who qualified outside of the EU are required to apply for an exemption in EU Law in the same way as for other subjects in the QLTT.
Constitutional Law and Criminal Law
Or
Constitutional Law and Company Law Contract Law and Tort Law
Land Law and Conveyancing Probate and Taxation
European Law
An exemption request will only be considered by the Education Committee, if all of the documents required for a Certificate of Eligibility are received and approved.
Applicants applying for exemptions must submit evidence in the form of references from employers or former employers which confirms/supports the pqe the applicant purports to have. The references should also reflect the time frame in which the pqe was obtained..
References from colleagues or former colleagues are not acceptable in this regard.
The following are the requirements to make an application:-
(1) Letter of application setting out details of post qualification experience as follows:- (a) Nature of Post Qualification Experience ‘pqe’
(b) Duration of pqe (c) Jurisdiction of pqe
(2) References from employers or former employers which support/substantiate the details provided at (1) above.
Note 1: If you are not applying for exemptions – please state this clearly in your covering
letter.
CATHERINE BYRNE
ADMINISTRATOR FOR FOREIGN QUALIFIED LAWYERS
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT THE LAW SOCIETY OF IRELAND WOODLANE
BLACKHALL PLACE DUBLIN 7
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Your application will be acknowledged either via e-mail, post or telephone call. Should we require any further documentation we will contact you requesting same.
Once all the required documents are received, your application will be presented to the Education Committee. Incomplete applications cannot be presented to the Education Committee.
Following the Education Committee meeting a Certificate of Eligibility will be issued reflecting the exemptions granted (if any).
If any part
of your application is incomplete this WILL delay your application.
