In the Hey Legal Traineeships Survey 2021, we asked about the barriers to taking on a trainee. There were many responses where the commitment to two years was raised as an issue, as neither firm nor trainee really know how the arrangement might work out. However, it is possible to terminate a training contract early.
In a recent article for the Law Society of Scotland, Rob Marrs, Head of Education, explains what happens when an employer or trainee wishes to end a training contract early, including the process, why it can happen and common myths surrounding termination of traineeship contracts. He writes:
I am one of the voices on the phone that speaks to trainees or trainers who call looking for guidance when traineeships become a little tricky. I reassure you that these calls are not frequent and those looking to end a traineeship are less frequent still.
However, one thing I am alive to from those conversations is that there is a bit of a misconception of how and why training contracts can be terminated, who has the power to terminate the training contract and what the role of the Law Society is. I hope this blog can put minds at relative ease.
You can read what Robb has to say over on the Law Society of Scotland website.