1. Easy To Find?
Your first test may sound like an obvious one, but does the legal training provider make it easy for you to find them? If you go onto the internet and do a search on core search terms such as “legal training” and “legal training courses”, are you able to find a selection of providers of courses? This is where everyone starts their search now and any company that is not only up to date with its subject matter should also be keeping up to date with the latest trends in how prospective clients will find their business.
So step one is to start your search on the internet.
2. A Variety Of Courses?
Do they have a variety of different types of legal training courses, or do they only offer one or two specialist courses that they run again and again? If you are looking for a training provider that you can use again and again (if they run the right quality of training course) you want to make sure that you can use them for a variety of training courses so if they have more than one course on offer and you try it and like it, you can return for many different courses without having to go through the search and selection process each time.
Do they have a variety of courses on offer?
3. Do They Offer A Free Newsletter/Training Updates?
Your time as a solicitor, personnel manager or partner is best spent working on the main aspects of your job rather than hunting around on the internet for new courses. Therefore, if the website you find offers a free newsletter in which they announce their new course dates and locations, this can save you a considerable amount of time.
Finding a supplier of legal training with a newsletter update service is the next step.
4. Do They Offer Training In A Variety Of Locations?
Can you attend the training courses in more than one location, or do they tend to only offer training in once location close to their premises? Whilst it may be easier for the training company to use their own premises, you need a provider that can serve your local legal training needs, so finding a trainer with courses in different locations could be important to save you time.
5. Do They Seem Approachable?
When you are choosing a provider, you want to make sure that you are dealing with someone that makes it as easy as possible for you to approach them with any questions about current or upcoming courses. Does their website make it easy for you to contact them? Is there a telephone number clearly displayed, an email address easy to find and a booking or general inquiry form? These are items you would expect to find as a bare minimum.
In addition, once you make contact, do they respond quickly to your inquiry, and when you contact them do they sound grateful for your inquiry (not desperate but happy to talk with you) and do they follow up as they say that they will do?
You are looking for someone with the complete package and being easy to approach is important to make your job in finding courses as easy as possible.
6. Is There Good Feedback From Previous Course Attendees?
The next step is a very important one; is there excellent feedback from other people that have already attended their legal training courses? If you are looking for a long term training partner, you want to ensure that they consistently deliver excellent courses. If you have not yet attended one, the only way you can have any feel for this is by looking at the feedback from other solicitors that have already attended.
Good feedback is vital
7. Do They Specialize?
Moving on the nature of the training itself, one thing that you might want to find is a provider that specialises in the same area of law that you do. If you specialize in banking or finance, a course provider that only provides legal training for this sector is likely to go into far more depth and offer a larger variety of training courses because it is their “specialist subject”. Likewise, if you specialize in personal injury law, a personal injury course provider should offer you far more variety than a general legal training provider.
Specialism in one subject area is likely to give you more bespoke training in your chosen area of law.
8. What Type Of Training Do They Provide?
Legal training is legal training, or is it? Whereas it used to be quite acceptable for a barrister to stand at the front of a lecture style theater and recite his case notes and thoughts on statute, that style of training has been proven to be least effective. After 15 minutes of the same person speaking, whoever they are and however good they are, people begin to lose interest.
Practical, interactive courses with case studies where you are made to apply what you have just learned are the most effective way of learning. Does your prospective new legal training provider carry out their training in this way or the old, traditional lecture style which is less effective.
Practical and interactive with case studies should ensure you obtain the best results.
9. Do They Have Their Own Qualification?
If your legal training provider specializes in one area you might expect them to have their own qualification. This will show they have real expertise in their area of law and have been providing this type of training for sometime. Even if the qualification is too junior for you, or too senior, the fact that they have their own bespoke qualification shows a commitment to improve the standards in their field of law and shows a long term approach to their business.
You are looking for a committed provider that will be around to provide your legal training for many years to come, and having their own qualification is a good indication that you have found the right provider.
10. Do They Belong To Or Are They Associated With A Trade Body?
If a training provider is connected to, or associated with a well respected professional body this provides you with certainty as regards their long term future. However, perhaps more importantly it also means that they will be actively involved in new legislation and discussions with the government, the results of which they can pass on to you through their training courses. This will put you in the position of being ahead of many of your competitors.
Summary
From the ease of use to find a training provider, through ease of contact, specialism and type of training, all of these points should help you to find the legal training provider that can meet and exceed your legal training needs.