Qualifying work experience: what you need to know for the SQE

Aug 31, 2023

Written By Annabel Gooden

The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) is now being phased in as the new route to qualification, and is set to replace the Legal Practice Course (LPC) by 2032. One of the best things about the new route is that you don’t have to secure a training offer from a law firm in order to qualify. This will be reassuring news to many aspiring lawyers, given how much competition there is for a limited number of training contract places.

How do I pass the SQE qualification route?

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requires anyone who wants to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales to:

- Obtain a degree or equivalent level 6 qualification (this can be in any subject)

- Pass the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments

- Complete two years (full-time or equivalent) Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)

- Pass the SRA’s character and suitability requirements

Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) is one of four stages that you must complete if you are seeking to qualify through the new SQE route. This third stage is an alternative to the traditional training contract and is designed to take into account other forms of legal work experience, such as paralegal or volunteering work.

Firms are still offering two-year training contracts and for many graduates this will be the simplest way to complete their QWE. However, the new system gives more flexibility to those who have already spent time working in the legal industry without obtaining a training contract. It is also meant to make the legal profession more accessible.

What counts as QWE?

As stated by the SRA, QWE must involve providing legal services. Legal activity is defined in the Legal Services Act 2007, under s.12. Note that it must also be real-life work. You may have completed tasks that involved fictitious clients and business scenarios during work experience or vacation schemes but this won’t count.

If your legal work meets the definition of continuing competencies set out by the SRA in its Statement of Solicitor Competence, then that is also a good indication it could count as QWE. The minimum number of competencies you must demonstrate is two. For more information, read our article here.

QWE could include: voluntary work, work for in-house legal departments, apprenticeships, paralegal roles, internships and pro-bono activities. The work you do doesn’t need to cover English and Welsh law and can be completed overseas, as long as the SRA can verify this.

What if I’ve already started the LPC?

If you’ve started or passed the LPC, there’s still an option to transition to the new system. If you would prefer to complete QWE rather than a traditional training contract, the SRA has set up a transitional route to make this possible.

You are required to pass both the LPC and the SQE2 exams and must record two years’ full-time or equivalent QWE. You can find out full details and apply for this route on the SRA’s website here.

How do I get my QWE confirmed?

Any QWE must be signed off by either a qualified solicitor in England and Wales or a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP). They must confirm the length of your experience, that it was for the provision of legal services and that it allowed you to develop at least two of the SRA competencies. They must also note that no issues arose about your character or suitability.

You can claim QWE for work you have already completed. To do this, you will need to speak to your previous employer.

Does it matter when and where I complete my QWE?

Your QWE must amount to two years full-time work, though this can be obtained through part-time work for an equivalent period. The system creates flexibility for those with caring responsibilities or other commitments which would make full-time training difficult.

You must gain your experience through no more than four different organisations. To illustrate this, if you have volunteered for four months at a time in five different legal clinics, you would only be able to count your work in four firms, meaning you will only have accrued 16 months QWE.

Unlike training contracts which candidates normally start after passing the LPC, QWE counts whether you completed it before, during or after the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments.

To read full details of the SQE and QWE, check out our dedicated SQE hub.

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