Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)

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The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is an exam that all new solicitors in England and Wales will be required to take before being accepted as qualified. It is the result of consultations and reviews of the Training for Tomorrow programme, aimed at standardizing the assessment that all solicitors are required to pass. If you did not begin a qualifying law degree by September 1, 2021, you will need to take the SQE to become a solicitor.

The SQE is split into two parts: SQE1 and SQE2. SQE1 is an assessment of a candidate's functioning legal knowledge (FLK), which includes areas such as business law and practice, dispute resolution, contract, tort, and more. Candidates must achieve the pass mark for both FLK1 and FLK2 to progress to SQE2. SQE2 assesses practical skills such as client interviews, advocacy, legal research, and legal drafting, among others.

Both assessments consist of multiple-choice questions. SQE2, on the other hand, focuses purely on legal skills assessments, which include client interviewing, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research and written advice, and legal drafting. In addition to passing the exams, candidates must also undertake two years of work experience in order to be qualified solicitors.

The SQE aims to provide a standardized exam that negates the differences between separate providers who determine their own limits and pass marks for the LPC and GDL which were the previous standard courses aspiring solicitors were required to take. The first exams for SQE1 took place in November 2021.

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is replacing the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC) with a standardized route into the legal profession but it is worth noting that the SQE is an exam, not a course.

To take the SQE, you do not need a qualifying law degree, as a degree in any subject, an equivalent qualification to a degree, or relevant work experience are all you need to be eligible to start. You need to complete and pass SQE1 before moving on to SQE2 and complete two years of qualifying work experience before getting signed off as a solicitor, which can be done before, during or after sitting SQE1 and SQE2.

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