Postgraduate training
assessment is scheduled to take place in April 2022.
SQE assessments The SQE is split into two stages (SQE1 and SQE2). SQE1 is made up of two exams, each containing 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) which test how candidates would apply their legal knowledge, research and writing skills in real scenarios across different practice areas. The first 180-question exam covers: • business lawand practice; • dispute resolution; • contract; • tort; • legal systemof England andWales; and • constitutional and administrative lawandEU lawand legal services. The second SQE1 exam covers: • property practice; • wills and the administration of estates; • solicitors accounts; • land law; • trusts; and • criminal lawand practice. SQE2 covers “core legal skills” and involves both oral and written assessments. The emphasis on the everyday skills of lawyering, such as drafting contracts and interviewing clients, means that it shares some similarities with LPC exams. SQE2 tests whether your practical skills are at the standard required of a newly qualified solicitor. SQE2 assesses the following five key skills: • client interviewing; • advocacy/persuasive oral communication; • case andmatter analysis – including planning negotiations; • legal research andwritten advice; and • legal drafting. The SRA has said that the exams will be introduced in Autumn 2021 and initially there will be two exam sittings per year. The first sitting for SQE 1 is scheduled to take place in November 2021 and the first SQE2
Anyone who commences a law degree, GDL or LPC before September 2021 can qualify through the old system. They will have until 2032 to complete the route and qualify as solicitors, or choose to qualify through the SQE if they prefer. However, some City firms have indicated that they are likely to require all candidates to take the SQE from 2022. It should be noted that there are details not yet revealed by the SRA about the SQE, including exactly how much it will cost, although the SRA estimates that SQE 1 will cost between £1,100 – £1,650 and SQE 2 somewhere between £1,900 - £2,850. Confirmation of how much the preparation courses will cost, or how they will work, have not yet been released as of Summer 2020. For the latest information on the SQE, search “Solicitors Qualifying Exam” on LawCareers.Net.
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