The training route to becoming a solicitor has changed.
The SQE training route means that non-law graduates no longer need to do the GDL followed by the Legal Practice Course (LPC), and law graduates no longer need to do the LPC.
Graduates will also no longer need to complete a two-year training contract with a law firm. Instead, they will be able to accrue two years' work experience through a range of legal roles, each signed off by a solicitor.
However, the old qualification route is still open for students who started their law degree before 21 September 2021.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has introduced a new training route for law and non-law graduates who want to qualify as a solicitor.
The Solicitors Qualification Exam (SQE) requires all graduates to sit two exams - the SQE 1 & SQE 2.
The SQE 1 will comprise two assessments that test an aspiring solicitor’s ability to apply legal knowledge and their practical legal skills.
Non-law graduates will want to consider whether they have the legal knowledge required for the SQE 1 and whether they wish to undertake a preparation course or Masters before sitting the exam.
The SQE 2 will examine a candidate’s legal skills e.g. client interviewing, legal drafting and advocacy. It is expected that candidates will take this exam after their period of qualifying work experience.
Graduates on the SQE route will also need to complete two years of qualifying work experience, confirmed by a solicitor. You will be able to accrue this experience in up to four organisations. This could be:
To apply to be a solicitor after completing your training, you will also need to pass the SRA's character and suitability requirements.
The Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL, also known as the CPE) is a law conversion course for non-law graduates. The GDL takes one year to complete with full-time study.
Technically, a conversion course is no longer required for non-law graduates. However, in practice, it is highly unlikely that you could prepare for the SQE exams, and obtain qualifying work experience, without appropriate legal knowledge. Now, though, you have a number of different options, from GDL (or PGDL) to Masters (or LLM) courses, sometimes combined with SQE preparation elements.
Do your research to work out the best option for you.
Masters or LLM courses will be eligible for a Master's loan, which may be important if you do not have law firm sponsorship.
The University of Law offers a range of new postgraduate courses to prepare non-law graduates for the SQE training route.
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives offers training on the job for people working in legal executive/paralegal positions.
You can also qualify as a solicitor via this training route. While training takes longer, it's less costly and you don't need to complete a training contract. if you complete it before an LPC.
The QLTS enables lawyers who have qualified outside the UK to practise as a solicitor in the UK
