They attend a session in October. They encounter a real situation in February. A partner reviews their work in March. Feedback arrives — five months after the original learning.
That gap has a direct cost. Every week a junior lawyer operates below competency represents lost billable output, senior time spent on rework, and delayed professional development.
The job of a simulation is to close this gap.
In a well-run team, this cycle takes four to eight weeks. In a stretched one, it can take a full seat rotation — or never close at all, if the trainee doesn't get the right matter at the right time.
The same cycle now takes hours, not months. And it repeats as many times as needed, on demand, without requiring a partner to be available.
Assume simulation training reduces average time-to-competency on a core task by four weeks per trainee.
| Variable | Figure |
|---|---|
| Trainee fully-loaded annual cost | £80,000 |
| Weekly cost | £1,540 |
| Value of 4 weeks recovered per trainee | £6,150 |
| Across a cohort of 30 | £185,000 |
That is a single skill area. A structured trainee programme typically covers six to ten task types across two years.
Time-to-competency is not an abstract concept — it is a measurable gap with a calculable cost. Simulations do not replace the feedback a good partner provides. They ensure trainees arrive at that conversation already competent, rather than using it to catch up.