Reed Smith's Training Principal, David Ashmore: "We are delighted to continue working with The College of Legal Practice on our Professional SQE Programme. This innovative route will equip the next generation of exceptionally talented Reed Smith Trainees with the skills, knowledge and practical experience to hit the ground running and excel during their QWE and beyond."

Toby Tompkins, Talent Attraction Manager at Ashfords: "We are looking forward to collaborating with The College of Legal Practice in order to provide our trainees with the very best preparation for their SQE exams. From our conversations with Giles and the team, we have been impressed with the level of personalised support and training offered to students, which will undoubtedly ensure each of our future lawyers have the best chance of succeeding in their exams and beyond.”

Patricia Birkdale, Early Careers Business Partner at Capsticks: “We are still relatively new on our SQE journey and started sponsoring the first candidates on this pathway in 2023. We have a number of our cohort qualifying in September, and a few more in March 2025. When we moved to the SQE, we knew we’d need a robust approach with clear parameters to signing off QWE. As a People First firm, we prioritise development and growth to ensure Motivated Teams. This is the same for qualified staff, paralegals and trainees.”

Claire Knowles, Senior Employment Partner: “Acuity recognises the importance of creating more open and innovative pathways for candidates to join the legal industry and develop their careers in different ways. The “one fits all approach” of the traditional training contract limits both law firms and candidates and we want to break those traditional barriers. We are delighted to be working with The College of Legal Practice to facilitate our new training programmes and the opportunities ahead for our future lawyers.”

Richard Coffey, Head of Vario Managed Legal Services Delivery, MLS Qualify: "With our partners at the College, we’ve worked to build a rewarding and rigorous programme that will capitalise on the unique knowledge and experience of paralegals working within Vario and provide the fundamental legal training needed to get them qualified. This initiative is specifically designed to offer MLS Trainees experience of legal technology teams and other non-traditional work as part of their training, to ensure that innovation in legal services delivery is a core part of their learning. We hope that this initiative will encourage greater social mobility and remove some of the barriers to accessing education and training that can sometimes dissuade people from pursuing qualification as a solicitor earlier in their careers."

Dr Jess Guth, Head of the School of Business and Law at Leeds Trinity University:“We are excited to be able to offer an Masters degree which applies a critical lens to the solicitors profession and at the same time helps students prepare for the SQE and key practice areas. Working with the College of Legal Practice means that students will benefit from their experience in vocational legal education alongside our expertise in delivering academically rigorous programmes in a supportive environment”

Dr Bleddyn Davies, Head of the School of Law at Keele University: "This is an excellent addition to the suite of programmes here at Keele and we genuinely believe it offers students the best of both worlds. On the one hand, the academic excellence that Keele is known for and on the other, the internationally recognised practical expertise offered by the College of Legal Practice. It means that students who want to prepare for the SQE in an academic environment now have the option of coming to Keele, and our existing students now have a clear route to complete their academic legal journey here. We are excited to see this market-leading offer go from strength to strength.”

Dr Susan Pascoe, Director of Programmes in Law, Associate Professor of Law: “This exciting new programme opens a much-needed pathway for those wishing to qualify in England and Wales as solicitors whilst also obtaining a postgraduate degree in Law in just one year. Middlesex University is proud to bring an innovative and forward-thinking approach to academia and training, collaborating with our strategic partners across the industry to enhance legal understanding, innovation, and expertise across the sector in UK and internationally. The hybrid learning techniques on the LLM Legal Practice, created alongside the College, ensure that higher education remains flexible and accessible to all.”

Professor Andrew Francis, Dean of the Manchester Law School at Manchester Metropolitan University: “At Manchester Law School, student support is at the very heart of all our programmes and these two new masters courses are no exception. We are a Law School with strong professional connections – many of which we are able to offer as part of pro bono activities which can contribute towards QWE – and world-leading research that will feed into students’ projects. Being able to offer a SQE pathway for our students through The College of Legal Practice’s proven preparation courses is an exciting development for us.”

Professor Scott Slorach, Director of Learning & Teaching at York Law School:  “From our experience of developing professional programmes, and understanding the challenges of the SQE, the York Law School team see The College of Legal Practice’s SQE materials as a key component of our new programme. There is a great synergy in our respective focus on effective and engaging learning design.” 

Danielle Hopton-Jones, LLM Course Leader at the University of Worcester:  “We’re incredibly excited to launch our new LLM. It offers students the best comprehensive tuition for SQE from the College of Legal Practice, alongside specialist knowledge and practical skills in dynamic practice-based modules, delivered by experts at the University of Worcester.” 

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winchester, Professor Sarah Greer: “We are looking forward to starting this course in partnership with the College. We believe it will provide an excellent launchpad for students who wish to become solicitors. It will not only give them the skills needed to enter the profession, but a wider base of knowledge and skills to help them succeed in their careers.”