Postgraduate training
choice assessments, with 180 questions in each one – 360 questions in total. The first part of SQE1 – FLK1 – covers business law and practice; dispute resolution; contract law; tort; legal system of England and Wales; constitutional and administrative law; and EU law and legal services. FLK2 covers property practice; wills and the administration of estates; solicitors accounts; land law; trusts; and criminal law and practice. SQE2 covers ‘practical legal skills’, consisting of all the skills-based elements of the exam involving role play and simulation. SQE2 has been divided into two parts – SQE2 oral and SQE2 written and is taken over five days. SQE2 oral, which takes place across two half days, covers interview and attendance note/legal analysis; and advocacy, while SQE2 written, which takes place across three half days, covers case and matter analysis; legal research; legal writing; and legal drafting. The emphasis on the everyday skills of lawyering, such as drafting contracts and interviewing clients, means that it shares some similarities with the LPC. You must pass SQE1 before you can book your SQE2 assessment.
conduct and regulation, taxation, wills and the administration of estates. This stage also teaches students specific skills such as advocacy, drafting and writing, interviewing and advising, problem solving and legal research. This stage is completed at law school. Stage Two consists of electives from a range of subjects in private and corporate client work, including commercial law and practice, employment, intellectual property, consumer, housing, family and immigration. As stated above, it’s possible to complete Stage Two during your training contract or while working at a law firm in another role (eg, as a paralegal or legal secretary), should you wish to do so. All institutions that offer the full-time LPC are managed by the Central Applications Board. You should apply online at www.lawcabs.ac.uk. The Solicitors Qualifying Exam The SQE is a new system of exams that has replaced the LPC. All solicitors must pass the SQE in order to qualify. Unlike the GDL and LPC, the new SQE is not a course but a series of exams, which are divided into two stages – SQE1 and SQE2. There are four things you need to qualify as a solicitor through the SQE. You must: • have a university degree, or equivalent qualification (law or non-law) or work experience; • meet the character and suitability requirements set by the SRA (this is the same as the old system); • pass SQE1 and SQE2; and • have two years’ QWE.
Students can sit SQE1 and 2 written assessments at their nearest Pearson
test centre in the UK (where driving theory tests in England and Wales take place) and internationally. SQE2 oral assessments are currently only carried out in Cardiff, Manchester and London, but more locations will be available in the future. There are multiple exam sittings through the year, providing flexibility to students, law schools and employers. Candidates should keep an eye on the opening dates for future assessments and make sure to register as an SQE candidate via the SRA before booking an exam. Anyone who commenced a law degree, GDL or LPC before September 2021 can qualify through the old system. They’ll have until 31 December 2032 to complete the route
SQE assessments SQE1 is known as ‘functioning legal
knowledge’ (FLK) and is designed to test not only your knowledge of the law, but how you’d apply it in real-life situations as a solicitor. There are two computer-based, multiple-
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