Career timetable: solicitors
• Why do I want to be a solicitor rather than a barrister? • Do I want to practise in London or the regions? • Which practice area do I want to qualify into?
Anyone wishing to pursue a career as a solicitor should be aware that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has introduced the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) – a new ‘super exam’ that all prospective solicitors must pass in order to qualify. Anyone who started a law degree, Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or Legal Practice Course (LPC) before the SQE was introduced in September 2021 can still qualify via the old route (ie, LPC and training contract) without taking the SQE until 2032. All students who started a law degree or law conversion after December 2021 must pass the SQE to qualify. Although the SRA will continue to recognise the LPC until as late as 2032, candidates won’t necessarily have that long to qualify this way, with many firms having recently confirmed plans to recruit candidates via the SQE for their 2024 intakes. That said, there are lots of firms that have revealed they will take on hybrid cohorts (ie, LPC and SQE candidates). Prospective lawyers should check what their shortlisted firms are doing. The SQE was designed to provide more flexibility for students, enabling different approaches to preparing for the exams as well as completing the qualifying work experience (QWE) requirements. However, many law firms will continue to rely on the trusted two-year training contract and hiring their future trainees two years in advance of their start date. Find out more about training as a solicitor in the rest of this section, but first take a look at the rough timetable below, which sets out the most common route to becoming a solicitor, as well as insights into what it’ll look like going forwards with the SQE. First-year law and second-year non-law students As you consider this career path, ask yourself the following questions: • What does it mean to be a solicitor? • Am I cut out for the work?
For help with all of these and more, use LawCareers.Net’s ‘New to Law’ section.
You should try to arrange some summer work experience to begin checking out the different types of firm (note that some formal vacation schemes don’t take place for another year, though). Above all, work at achieving good grades, as well as developing transferable skills: when it comes to applying for formal vacation schemes and training contracts, firms want to know your first and second-year grades, not just what degree you’ve ended up with, and what makes you a well-rounded person. Second-year law and final-year non-law students Autumn term, winter holidays and spring term Decide whether you genuinely believe that law is a career that suits your character and skills through further research into the profession. Go to your careers advice service and discuss the profession generally with a careers adviser. Attend law firm presentations on campus and at firms’ offices, and develop your networking skills. Research and apply for vacation schemes (which take place every winter, spring and summer). Attending these schemes is a great way to get a feel for the range and types of practice available. See LawCareers.Net’s ‘Vacation scheme deadlines’ page for closing dates. The big annual training contract application deadline shared by many firms is 31 July. However, firms are free to recruit and offer training contracts at any time, so there are often vacancies to apply for all year round.
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