PSC Explained: Client Care and Professional Standards
- Raphael Jucobin
- Tuesday 07th December
- 2 min read
This is the shortest of the three obligatory modules of the Professional Skills Course, with only 12 hours’ worth of training spread out over two days to complete. It’s also the only one out of the compulsory elements of the PSC that doesn’t include an assessment at the end of the training session.
It’s recommended by the Solicitors Regulation Authority that you take Client Care and Professional Standards at least six months into your period of recognised training, so that you’ve accumulated some level of work experience before you embark on the PSC to refine your practical skills. However, this is by no means a strict rule and the time at which you undertake the course, whether that’s the fast-track 12-day course or individual modules, is largely left up to you and your employer.
The University of Law, one of the leading providers of the PSC, offers three different professional routes for trainees taking the Client Care and Professional Standards module - a Corporate, Commercial and Private, as well as an In-house lawyer pathway.
The content of the module is divided into the following three elements - Client Care and Communication Skills, Professional Standards, and Work and Case Management.
Client Care and Communication Skills
Here, you’ll look at the ways you can effectively communicate with a client in both a written and verbal format, including interviewing, keeping them informed and dealing with difficult clients.
Professional Standards
This element covers conflicts of interests, negligence warnings, and handling complaints, among other aspects of the SRA principles and codes of conduct.
Work and Case Management
You’ll develop your time management skills as well as learning about minimising risk and professional liability when managing case files.
Like in the other core modules, you’ll be expected to carry over some degree of knowledge from what you’ve studied at the LPC level, specifically regarding an awareness of the professional ethics related to different actors and situations that arise in the legal profession.