New qualifying assessment for solicitors from 2020

An independent assessment, the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), is to be introduced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and is intended to ensure all solicitors meet consistent, high standards at the point of entry to the profession. The SQE will replace the current system of qualification which consists of multiple courses and examinations. The implementation date will be, at the earliest, September 2020, in order to give all affected parties sufficient time to prepare.

The new qualification will have four elements. To qualify as a solicitor, candidates will need to:

• have passed SQE stages 1 and 2 to demonstrate they have the right knowledge and skills
• have been awarded a degree or an equivalent qualification, or have gained equivalent experience
• have completed at least two years of qualifying legal work experience
• be of satisfactory character and suitability

More confidence and wider access 

Support for the principle of an independent assessment has come from the public and from groups such as the Law Society, Legal Services Consumer Panel and Junior Lawyers Division.

The SRA says the SQE is also designed to help widen access to the profession, and help validate different routes to qualification, including ‘earn as you learn’ pathways such as apprenticeships.

The SQE structure will introduce a more flexible approach to a period of work-based experience, addressing the training contract bottleneck. It will also, the SRA says, get rid of the current problem where many would-be solicitors have to take the ‘Legal Practice Course gamble’ by paying large up-front costs, often up to £15,000, with no guarantee of a training contract or becoming a solicitor.