In 2022, The College of Legal Practice began a successful partnership with Reed Smith in delivering practical legal training modules for their future trainees. In October 2024, this evolved into Reed Smith’s Professional SQE Programme, combining a foundation year of work placements, SQE preparation, and bespoke Reed Smith training modules, followed by two years of seat placements to complete Qualifying Work Experience (QWE).
We spoke with Reed Smith’s Graduate Recruiter, Rik Palmer, about how the course is supporting trainees in practice.
The Reed Smith approach to legal training
We’re proud of our SQE programme. We’ve worked closely with The College of Legal Practice to get it where it is. It’s regularly evolving to meet the needs of our trainees.
The programme currently has an apprenticeship feel to it. Unlike some other organisations, you join us at the firm and work as part of the team alongside your SQE studies with the College. It is intensive and a steep-learning curve, but a fantastic opportunity for development and passing the SQE exams of course.
The programme includes two SQE preparation modules, alongside four transactional skills modules, focusing on areas of practice that are crucial to Reed Smith, such as Private Acquisitions and Corporate Finance. These modules are specifically designed in collaboration with Reed Smith solicitors to ensure that they develop the relevant knowledge and skills for working in the firm. The students also have an opportunity to complete a Masters programme with the College.
Working closely with our training provider means we can make the learning and practical work experience match. The timing of each module in the programme is also thought through very carefully. You always have enough time to go off to carry out those intense study periods that are needed for SQE preparation, and eventually sitting your exams.
We are also unafraid to innovative and develop the programme, for example this year, we moved to starting SQE1 preparation earlier so our interns have more time to study for SQE1. They have all done fantastically well in their preparation course assessments, so we have high hopes for them in the SQE1 exams.
An extra year of practical experience
Something else that we are committed to do, is to get our trainees joining the firm earlier than when their actual training contract begins. This means that you have a full year working for us part-time to begin with to build up your practical experience, but it’s never more than two days a week. This is a fantastic way to start to learn about Reed Smith and build relationships with your future colleagues.
In this first year you’re usually doing business support work, working your way around the building, learning the nuts and bolts of a firm, supporting our pro bono work and attending all our social events to get to meet people in the firm.
So by the time you start your training contract, you’re already very established with your foot in the door. You don’t have to waste time learning where to sit, who does what, where you can grab a coffee, it’s all part of your knowledge base and you can hit the ground running.
Connecting with the College
Together, we run a specific induction with the College and our new SQE interns each year, which sets up the programme well, and clarifies our expectations for their study on the programmes, both in terms of engagement and performance.
We have regular catch ups with the College as our course progresses, to review how the students are engaging with the modules, their wellbeing and how they are performing against the SQE standards required to have a strong chance of passing the SQE exams first time. Together throughout the collaboration we want to ensure the needs of our trainees are being met both academically and practically.
We’ve had great feedback from our latest cohort who have just moved into their training contracts! They felt that the hybrid learning environments blended nicely combining study and real working insights.
This article stems from discussions as part of a webinar on SQE Success ran by Legal Cheek with Rik Palmer, Graduate Recruiter at Reed Smith. Thank you to all for your participation and knowledge.
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