What counts as qualifying work experience for the SQE?

Jan 30, 2024

Written By John Toher

As the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) replaces the Legal Practice Course (LPC) as the route to qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales, it is important to understand what exactly this new route consists of. One of the biggest changes is the new work experience requirements. Instead of securing a training contract you can now use a specific type of legal work experience, known as qualifying work experience, to qualify as a solicitor.

What legal work experience counts as qualifying work experience (QWE)?

In order for the legal work experience to qualify it must involve the provision of legal services as defined by the Legal Service Act 2007 (s. 12).

Crucially, the work experience must allow the candidate to develop some or all of the competencies required to work as a competent professional solicitor across four key areas:

- Ethics, professionalism and judgement,

- Technical legal practice,

- Working with other people, and

- Managing themselves and their own work.

The full list can be found here. The expectation is that candidates will learn and develop as wide a range of competencies as they can throughout their placements, but the minimum number required is two.

They are not required to develop all competences, but the more they develop the better prepared they will be for the SQE2 assessment and for future practice.

It is important to note that candidates are not required to undertake QWE before they sit the SQE assessments. Instead, you can undertake QWE before, during or after sitting these assessments. However, bear in mind that the SQE2 assessment is designed to assess practical skills, so sitting it after your QWE placements where you are meant to acquire and develop these skills is wise.

Where do I look for QWE?

All aspiring solicitors qualifying through the SQE route must complete two years full-time (or equivalent) QWE. The QWE must be undertaken in a maximum of four time periods, at a maximum of four organisations. It is designed to be as flexible as possible, to improve access to the legal profession.

Placements can be paid or voluntary and can include: placements during a law degree, working as a paralegal, seats during a training contract or working as a volunteer in a legal advice clinic.

QWE placements can be accrued anywhere, it does not need to be in England and Wales.

While the first part for the SQE assessment (SQE1) examines your knowledge of English and Welsh law, the practical skills examined in the second part (SQE2) can be developed in any jurisdiction.

Why was QWE introduced?

To improve access and diversity in the legal profession.

It is designed to make it simpler to qualify as a solicitor for those who may have acquired legal work experience through work as paralegal, legal executive or in a volunteer role. Importantly, QWE can count retrospectively, without any limit on how far someone can go back, just as long as it is confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales or Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP).

Completing a law degree or legal conversion course, and securing a training contract just isn’t possible for many aspiring lawyers. It’s expensive and applications are highly competitive. Thus, this new way of doing things is designed to help those who fall through the cracks.

SQE