Judicial assessment will remain a ‘central element’ of the controversial quality assurance scheme for advocates, legal regulators announced today. However it will apply only to Crown court advocates. Accreditations will begin this summer.

Under an agreement on the Quality Assurance Scheme for Advocates (QASA) announced by the three main legal regulators, all advocates who undertake trial work in the Crown court will have their performance assessed live in court by a judge.

But, in accordance with an amendment to the scheme sought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, plea-only advocates - who do not undertake trials - will be able to do non-trial Crown court hearings without having their performance assessed by a judge. Instead they will be assessed in assessment centres. Details of who will carry out those assessments have not been finalised.

The agreement breaks a deadlock between the SRA and the Bar Standards Board which delayed the introduction of the scheme from last year.

Advocates will be expected to notify their regulators that they will be seeking accreditation.

A final consultation will also be issued in the early summer to fine-tune details. Judicial evaluation will be phased in from late 2012 and will be available on all circuits by late summer 2013.

There will be ongoing monitoring, evaluation and data gathering on all aspects of the scheme for two years from implementation. After this, the scheme will be reviewed and amended if necessary, the joint advocacy group, comprising the SRA, BSB and ILEX Professional Standards (IPS), said.

QASA provides a single route through which all solicitors, barristers and legal executives carrying out publicly funded criminal advocacy will be assessed through a common set of standards.

SRA chief executive Antony Townsend said: ‘I am delighted that we are proceeding with a joint scheme for the quality assurance of advocacy in the criminal courts. This is a vital step to ensure that all those who are reliant upon advocacy services are able to access competent advocates to undertake their work.’

BSB director Vanessa Davies said: ‘One scheme for all advocates has been our aim throughout the development of QASA, because that is what best serves the public interest. I am very pleased that we have now reached agreement on the final aspects of the scheme and look forward to continuing to work with the other regulators to ensure its effective implementation.’

IPS chief executive Ian Watson said: ‘It is time to move to the practicalities of implementation and we're looking forward to achieving that this year in line with the agreed timetable.’

He added: ‘The commitment to further research and evidence gathering during the start-up phase of the scheme is vital if an effective and stable quality assurance scheme is to be established in this essential area of legal work.’

Speaking at the employed barristers’ conference earlier this week, the Director of Public Prosecution Keir Starmer QC said: ‘The sooner we have one scheme for solicitors and barristers, employed and self-employed, the better.’

He said that once such a scheme had been achieved, the CPS would fold its own quality assurance scheme into the new model.