ruth Ekong

Qualified solicitor and Director, passed SQE2 with the College

Hi, I’m Ruth. I am a qualified solicitor and Director of Fitch Solutions with a background in legal practice. I originally studied Law with German at university where I then worked for Freshfields in London. I completed the LPC about 10 years ago and, recognising the challenges of finding a training contract, I found the SQE as an opportunity to complete qualification, as I only needed to sit SQE2.  I passed SQE2 after preparing with The College of Legal Practice’s SQE2 prep course, and completed fully enrolled as a solicitor with the SRA in 2023. Here are my experiences.  

Why did you choose to study with The College of Legal Practice?

Initially, foolishly I wasn’t going to do a prep course. I quickly realised how much of a big mistake that would have been. Then wisdom kicked in, I thought if you’re going to do it, do the course and do it well. That’s when I stumbled across The College of Legal Practice.   

I looked at a few providers and the College’s arrangements were most suitable to me – the flexibility, the support; having the opportunity to speak with practising solicitors, who reassured me and told me “Actually, you know this stuff”, “you’re doing It already”, “you can do it” was really helpful, too. This really helped boost my confidence - especially when you haven’t been studying for 10 years.  

Reflections on the College’s SQE2 preparation course

It’s been really good for me! You have a lot of examples and questions around what's required from you in terms of the exam and that can help alleviate a lot of concerns. It’s easy to think ‘I should just swallow the textbooks’, but that’s not the way to go. It’s not advisable to just ‘inhale’ the knowledge. It doesn’t help and it will confuse you, so getting the guidance from the tutors on what to focus on was incredibly important. 

What was also really helpful was the mock assessments – they give you a lot on the course and the assessments can help identify the areas you’re not so strong in. It was really helpful to have somebody who's in practice telling me “Okay, you're really good at this area”, “focus on this”, “this is what they're looking for in the exam” and then you can have that measure in your head when you're doing it. I found that undeniably incredibly beneficial.  

When you’re doing a course like this, it can be very intense, so you need as much support that you can get which is why at the College, every tutor is willing to sit with you to discuss what you’ve just done in your assessments, and that’s been really key for me.  

What’s the support been like at the College?

You’ll have your own pastoral support and dedicated person to speak to about your overall personal challenges and that, for me, was unmatched. When I compared the College to other providers, none were able to provide that level of guidance or support. The exams are very intense and so having that level of guidance up until the day you sit the exams was key to my success. And if you’re someone who is like me, working full time, if you haven’t been studying for a while and have knowledge gaps, or if you’re busy and have a family, having people who are in practice advising you - I can’t stress enough, is key. I think it's really, really key to passing.  

As someone who was this close to not doing a prep course, the College made such a massive difference because I would have gone down a completely different route. I am really, really grateful for the pastoral support!   

My SQE2 experience: Some tips

Planning and engagement is key. I would be at every session I could. Doing the practice was great but getting the advice in the feedback sessions was crucial – as, coming from a LPC background, I didn’t have the immediacy of completing SQE1 and having the knowledge fresh.  Being in practice, there is also misconception that you will be able to sit SQE2 without preparation, and whilst you’re certainly capable, the knowledge needs to be there, and I think people underestimate this. You need to understand where your gaps are, and if you’re not engaging enough, you won’t know.  

Focus on your strengths. Remember, when you are communicating, you're communicating with people - focus on that. Focus on, you know, being a good communicator and giving good advice as a base level.  

Finally – for the exams, make sure to eat well and prepare your physical state. Rest is massively important, and people underestimate that it’s a long day. Don’t panic. For SQE2, you really have to have a clear mind to think practically. Your nerves play a big part in how you perform, so just trusting that you've done enough to get yourself to the exam date really helps just to calm yourself and respond with clarity.   

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