SRA bombarded by criticism over ‘super-exam’

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has been bombarded by criticism of its new centralised ‘super-exam’ which was set to be key for a new way of regulating would-be solicitors.

It has announced that of the 250 responses that it received in response to the new plan, 200 raised serious or minor concerns with the proposals to introduce the SQE, and the other 50 were mixed.

Cristin Passmore, who is the executive director of policy at the SRA, stated: “I would be amazed if it doesn’t change our mind on some stuff. We have engaged massively on this, there are a lot of people with a big stake in the current system.”

How serious an issue this super-exam is becoming has become apparent with the introduction of the Legal Services Consumer Panel into the debate, who warned the SRA that it would increase costs for their clients.

They stated too that: “Although the SRA suggests the introduction of the SQE would remove the need for candidates to take the Legal Practice Course, in practice this is dictated by firms’ entry requirement for training contracts. It is likely that firms may well favour the status quo.”

However, they refrained from suggesting that all solicitors should hold a mandatory degree, indicating that those who come into the legal profession in later life may not hold a degree but a wealth of experience would count heavily in their favour. 

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