Qualifying as a Solicitor in England & Wales

If you are a qualified lawyer in another jurisdiction, the route to becoming a solicitor in England & Wales could be shorter for you than other candidates. In fact, you may find that you just need to pass SQE1 to become qualified. 

To become a solicitor in England & Wales, you would normally need to:

• Pass SQE1 assessments and then SQE2 assessments
• Complete two years Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)
• Have an undergraduate degree or equivalent
• Pass suitability requirements
  
  

Qualifying Work Experience is not required

Firstly, as a qualified lawyer, if you are looking to dual-qualify, you will not need to complete Qualifying Work Experience as the SRA’s starting point for a qualified lawyer is that you already have two years legal work experience as a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction.

SQE2 exemption

Secondly, you may be exempt from completing the SQE2 exams. SQE2 is a test of legal skills, so many qualified lawyers are considered to have already met the standard required for SQE2 through their role. You could either have a full exemption for SQE2 or apply for an individual exemption, depending on your jurisdiction. If you have an exemption, you may be required to pass an English test.

Taking the SQE from outside the UK

If you are based outside the UK, the good news is that SQE1 and the written SQE2 assessments can be taking outside the UK at test centres internationally. Check the SRA website for test centres in your country. SQE2 oral assessments must be taken in the UK, so planning and budgeting is essential.

How do I find out more?

1. Firstly, check your professional practice qualification on the SRA’s website to see whether your role is considered a qualified lawyer role by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the regulator of solicitors in England & Wales).
2. Using the exemption checker above, you can also find out if you are exempt from taking SQE2.
3. If you are exempt, look at the charges and requirements for applying for an exemption. You can choose to apply for your SQE2 exemption before, during or after your study for SQE1.
4. Decide if and when you would like to take SQE1 and set up a SQE account.
   
   

Preparing for the SQE exams

Before you start your study for the SQE exams, we recommend that you find out as much as you can about them - visit our SQE hub (embed link) for details and the SRA sample questions (embed link) . Taking SQE1 isn't easy, particularly if you aren't familiar with the law of England and Wales. Even if you have worked in the UK legal sector we strongly recommend that you consider taking a Graduate Diploma in Law (embed link) (GDL) first before you start a SQE1 prep course. This is particularly the case if you aren't a native english speaker. The GDL will give you an excellent grounding in the foundations of law of England & Wales. 

If looking at the SQE1 specification and sample questions, you feel that you can move straight to a preparation course, there are no specific training requirements. You can choose to prepare for the SQE exams in whatever way works best for you. For busy working professionals like yourself, at the College, we offer all our courses online with flexible weekly timetables, and this includes a LLM in Legal Practice and standalone SQE preparation courses. 

You can study part-time or full-time depending on how many hours a week you have available to study. We would recommend that working legal professionals without a UK law degree take a 40 week preparation course, particularly if they have only worked in another jurisdiction. To decide what is right for you, try some SQE1 questions and familiarise yourself with the exam that you need to pass.

Choose the right course for you

Studying from outside the UK

Here at The College of Legal Practice we are pleased to be able to welcome students from all across the world. Our learning is fully virtual and students work to weekly deadlines, so study can fit into working life as a legal professional. The flexible timing of course assessment deadlines for SQE1 prep and recording of live sessions means that students can study in different time zones. The costs of our courses as also exactly the same for students based outside the UK, just additional postage if you wish to have hard copy materials.

Find out more

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Embracing Accessibility: My Journey at the College

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My tips for studying law whilst juggling Dyslexia

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The SQE

One of the main benefits cited by the SRA of the new SQE qualification pathway was to improve accessibility into the profession. This is carried out by reducing the barriers to entry, including reduced costs, having centralised assessments and most importantly removing the need for a training contract, with the introduction of Qualifying Work experience (QWE).  

To understand better whether the SQE is improving accessibility, we look to the SRA’s reports on each SQE1 and SQE2 assessment that detail the percentages of candidates passing across ethnicity, disability, sex, age, education level, whether the candidate has QWE and more. These reports currently show an attainment gap in terms of pass rates, for some under-represented groups, such as those with black ethnic origin, and for those with lower undergraduate degree classification. It's important to note that this gap was also present in a similar fashion in the LPC and more broadly in higher education.

In response to this, the SRA have commissioned the University of Exeter to explore this, where they will look into identifying the long-lasting and intersectional causes of the attainment gap, exploring lessons to learn from other sectors and understand how to close the gap. We are looking forward to seeing and understand the results of this research. 

At the College we're constantly monitoring the progression and impact of the SQE, in this article Dr. Giles Proctor, CEO at the College shares his reflections of the SQE one year on.