How to become a solicitor: the SQE route explained

The SQE was introduced by the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) in 2021 to replace the QLT and will eventually replace the LPC. It is one of the qualification options available for aspiring solicitors to demonstrate their knowledge of the profession. Exams are never fun, but let's make sure you have all the info you need to start studying in this guide!

What is the SQE?

The SQE stands for Solicitors Qualifying Examination and was created by the SRA to ensure a consistently high standard for all solicitors in England and Wales. While considered a postgraduate course, you don't need an existing law degree to become a solicitor through this route.

To qualify as a solicitor through the SQE route, you must:

• Have a degree in any subject (or equivalent level 6 qualification or work experience)
• Pass both SQE assessments - SQE1 and SQE2
• Have two years of qualifying work experience
• Meet the SRA's character and suitability criteria

How the SQE assessments look

The assessments are split into two stages: SQE1 and SQE2. Both exams test different skills required to be a solicitor and are assessed on a pass-fail basis.

SQE1

SQE1 tests your functional legal knowledge (FLK) across two exams over two days - FLK1 and FLK2 - with a total of 180 multiple-choice questions. Across both exams, ethics and professional conduct will be assessed. You need to receive an overall pass mark for both FLK1 and FLK2 to pass SQE, and both FLK assessments must be taken in the same exam window to qualify.

FLK1 includes:

• Business Law and Practice
• Dispute Resolution
• Contract
• Tort
• Legal System of England and Wales
• Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law and Legal Services

FLK2 includes:

• Property Practice
• Wills and the Administration of Estates
• Solicitors Accounts
• Land Law
• Trusts
• Criminal Law and Practice

SQE2

SQE2 covers the practical skills. It consists of 16 practical exercises - four oral and 12 written - over five days.

The assessments will focus on the following skills:

• Advocacy
• Case and matter analysis
• Client interview and attendance note/legal analysis
• Legal research
• Legal writing
• Legal drafting

The practice contexts in which you'll be assessed are:

• Business organisation's rules and procedures (including money laundering and financial services).
• Criminal Litigation (including advising clients at the police station)
• Dispute Resolution
• Property Practice
• Wills and Intestacy, Probate Administration and Practice

What is qualifying work experience?

As part of the SQE, you'll complete two years of full-time qualifying work experience (QWE). This is experience providing legal services to develop your skills to become a solicitor.

There are different ways of gaining your QWE but the most common is a training contract. How these look will depend on where you undertake your training contract but is usually one to two years in length and will allow you to move around different departments to get a sense of what aspects of law you enjoy.

You can undertake your QWE whenever you like - this can be before, during or after the SQE1 and SQE2. For your QWE to be recognised, you must register it with the SRA and be signed off against the SRA requirements.

When to take the SQE exams

You can register to take the SQE whenever works for you, however you can only book SQE2 once you've passed SQE1. SQE1 assessments happen twice a year, in January and July, and SQE2 assessments are four times a year, in January, April, July and October. The deadline to register is typically five weeks before the assessment.

Oral assessments take place in exam venues in Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Manchester.

It's up to you how you book your assessments, and how you work in your qualifying work experience. If you're working on a training contract, there may be terms of when you need to pass your SQE to ensure you can study and sit the exams around this experience.

How much does the SQE cost?

From September 2024, the fees for assessments are:

• SQE1 - £1,888 (£944 for FLK1 and £944 for FLK2)
• SQE2 - £2,902

FLK1 and FLK2 will need to be booked separately but paid together at the time of booking. For SQE2, you will book both written and oral assessments together and pay at the time of booking.

In some cases, larger law firms will offer to pay your exam fees as part of your training contract. If your workplace doesn't offer this, or you're yet to secure a training contract, you can self-fund the exams too.

Retaking the SQE

These are tough exams and not everyone will pass the first time. For the SQE, you can resit the exams a total of three times in six years. There are also resit fees you'll have to pay to retake the exams:

• If you fail FLK1 or FLK2, you'll pay £944 to resit
• If you fail both FLK1 and FLK2, you'll pay £1,888
• If you fail SQE2, you'll pay £2,902

Under some training contracts, they will pay for certain resits an agreed number of times but not all will offer this. You'll be made aware of this as part of the application process.

LPC vs SQE

Currently, you can choose either LPC or SQE as your qualification, however, the LPC is soon to be phased out and the SQE will fully replace this by 2032.

The LPC is still available for anyone who:

• Has already completed a recognised law degree by 1st September 2021
• Started a recognised law degree before 1st September 2021
• Have been accepted onto a course by 21st September 2021 and it started before 31st December 2021

Unlike the LPC, you don't need a specific law degree to qualify as a solicitor with the SQE route, though both require you to have a recognised degree and two years of relevant work experience.