The Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board require lawyers representing children to maintain specialist, up-to-date expertise. With the uplift in youth court fees, expectations of higher-quality representation have never been greater—and further regulatory change is on the horizon.
YJLC’s bespoke training programmes—delivered by the country’s leading youth justice lawyers—help you meet and exceed these standards while supporting your CPD requirements. Focused on the most critical youth justice issues and enriched by co-delivery with children, our training offers rare, practical insight grounded in lived experience.
You’ll learn how to apply youth justice law and procedure with confidence, using real case studies that show what works in practice. Each session sharpens case preparation, strengthens advocacy, and improves outcomes for your clients.
Our monthly masterclasses also give you direct access to leading youth justice lawyers at exceptional value—helping you stay ahead of regulatory demands and deliver the highest standard of representation.
Key topics include:
- Communicating and engaging effectively with children
- Core youth justice principles and system overview
- Youth-specific criminal law (out of court resolutions, bail and remand, jurisdiction, trial adaptations)
- Understanding the child’s background and needs
- Protections for looked after children and victims of trafficking
- Effective participation and fitness to plead
- Sentencing framework for children
- Legal duties owed to children by courts and local authorities
“Barristers practising in youth proceedings should develop and maintain specialist knowledge and skills because they deal with some of the most vulnerable people in our justice system—children who often have complex needs and limited understanding of legal processes”
Bar Standards Board
“A good youth court solicitor will maintain their competence by keeping their knowledge and skills up to date and applying them effectively in…..Youth justice law, guidance, and procedure”
Solicitors Regulatory Authority
The training delivered by the YJLC was invaluable. Their expertise on youth law and the unique challenges faced by young people in the criminal justice system gave us further confidence and practical tools we needed to provide the best possible representations for our clients. Thanks to this training we were able to successfully defend a youth client who had been the victim of child exploitation. The knowledge we gained not only enhanced our legal skills but also deepened our understanding of how to advocate effectively for vulnerable young people. We are incredibly grateful to YJLC for sharing their specialist insight and would highly recommend their training to any professionals working with young people in the justice system.
Kajel Doshi, Senior Solicitor, Lawtons Solicitors
