The Legal Education and Training Review (LETR) has issued a call for feedback on radical proposals for reform, including the replacement of the training contract with a more flexible period of 'supervised practice'.

The review, billed as the most fundamental examination of legal education and training since the Ormrod report of 1971, has published the first of three consultation papers to canvas views on potential reforms of the profession's current training and education framework.

The paper looks at the pros and cons of the removal of certain elements of the current system, citing the issue of the 'bottleneck' created by current qualification paths such as the training contract, while also putting forward the case for more flexibility in the early stages of a legal career.

Other proposals outlined in the paper include the abolition of the concept of a qualifying law degree and common training for budding lawyers.

The research consortium, which consists of four legal education professors, two full-time researchers and three consultants, also questions whether the training contract limits access to the profession, and subsequently whether there should be another form of supervised training which is less prescriptive.

The consultation is now open for discussion by key stakeholders and the general public, with a deadline for responses to feed into a follow-on paper set for 10 May.

The LETR, which was jointly commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the Bar Standards Board and ILEX Professional Standards, is reconsidering current systems of legal education and training in the wake of the changes ushered in by the Legal Services Act. The SRA discussed the review's progress to date and the first consultation paper at a meeting last week (4 April).

SRA executive director Samantha Barrass commented: "We are keen to receive input from our stakeholders at all stages of the review, both during the 2012 initial research phase and subsequently in 2013 and onwards when we formulate and consult on a new education and training regime.

"It is vital, given the enormous implications of the outcomes of this review, that we ensure everyone has a chance to comment and contribute."

Click here to read the full consultation paper.