Overview of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is a single, national licensing examination introduced in autumn 2021 to ensure consistent standards for solicitors. The SQE replaces previous routes to admission and offers benefits to education/training providers, aspiring solicitors, law firms, and the public. SQE1 assesses legal knowledge and skills, while SQE2 focuses on practical legal skills. Pilot programs have provided valuable insights, leading to adjustments such as reducing the assessments and exploring alternative options. Qualifying work experience of at least 2 years is also required.
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Presentation Transcript
Assessing skills under the new SQE Julie Brannan, Director of Education and Training
What is the SQE? A single, national licensing examination Everyone will meet the same high standards in a consistent way We will no longer specify routes to admission as a solicitor Introduced autumn 2021
The benefits Education/ Training providers Aspiring solicitors Law firms The public Guarantee of standards Greater confidence Fairness and choice Ability to innovate Opportunity to work with local firms to provide tailored training Opportunity to tailor training Wider access to legal services Greater flexibility in how to train Wider recruitment options
SQE1 and SQE2 SQE2: Practical legal skills assessments SQE1: Functioning legal knowledge (FLK) assessments Simulated role plays and written tasks Test of application of fundamental legal principles Substantive and procedural law Computer-based SQE1: Practical legal skills assessment of writing and research?
SQE1 pilot March 2019 318 candidates It is possible to design a FLK assessment that is robust and manageable 46 centres The operational aspects of the pilot went well England, Wales, Scotland and international
SQE1 pilot recommendations Reduce FLK from three to two assessments; same coverage and number of questions SQE1 skills model not effective and should not be used in live setting We are now exploring alternative options more later We have accepted the recommendation
SQE2 pilot December 2019 167 candidates Looking at uniform assessment versus options The operational aspects of the pilot went well 2 Findings due June/July centres
Qualifying work experience (QWE) At least 2 years experience of legal services, signed off by a solicitor with experience of the candidate s work. Working in student law clinics and law firms, as a paralegal and a trainee can all count No more than four different organisations No requirement for three practice areas
Practical arrangements Initially, two exam sittings per year; 3 attempts; 6-year validity; Available in England and Wales; wide geographic network for written tests; limited number of centres for oral skills (to include Cardiff) And (for written tests) internationally Future sittings/venues will keep pace with demand
Indicative fee range 3,000 - 4,500 SQE1: 1,100 1,650 SQE2: 1,900 - 2,850
SQE through the medium of the Welsh language
SQE in Welsh We regulate across England and Wales, where we have two official languages We are working with key stakeholder and experts across Wales We want to encourage access to legal services in both English and Welsh C. 100 law students p.a. assessed through the medium of Welsh; LPC in Welsh is not offered because of low demand Many law students do not pursue career as solicitor - estimate demand at perhaps c. 50 candidates per year?
SQE in Welsh Translation and moderation/standardisation across the two languages needs careful work to maintain standards Possible phased approach to implementation: Written answers in Welsh Oral answers in Welsh Skills questions (oral and written) being translated into Welsh FLK questions being translated into Welsh We need bilingual assessors, who are qualified solicitors!
SQE1 skills - recap on the pilot SQE1 pilot: what did we pilot? 2 legal writing tasks and 1 legal research task Each candidate (for pilot purposes) did this twice SQE1 pilot: findings SQE1 skills model not defensible Insufficiently reliable or accurate An unclear standard: Threshold skill level to enable candidates to work effectively in professional legal services in an unqualified capacity Now seeking stakeholder views on skills across SQE1 and 2
SQE2 skills recap on the pilot SQE2 Practical Legal Skills Assessments Client interviewing, completion of attendance note, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing and legal drafting Criminal Practice, Dispute Resolution, Property, Wills and the Administration of Estates, Business Practice Simulated role plays/written tasks Pilot will test different options for SQE2 design
Skills assessment design questions Should we assess skills in SQE1 or is assessment at SQE2 sufficient? Should there be a choice of contexts in which legal skills are assessed in SQE2? Alternatively, should all candidates take the same assessment, or a combination? We have some options and are interested to hear your views
Options for SQE1 skills Option 1: No skills in SQE1 - assess skills only in SQE2 Option 2: FLK 1 (90% marks) + written skills exercise (10% marks) = single pass/fail point FLK 2 (90% marks) + written skills exercise (10% marks) = single pass/fail point Written skills exercise set at admission standard
Models being piloted for SQE2 1. Specialisms only: candidates take legal skills assessments in two contexts of their choice, from: Civil Litigation; Criminal Litigation; Company/Commercial; Property Law and Practice; Wills and Probate. 2. Uniform exam: all candidates take the same exam, which samples across all legal skills and all contexts. 3. A combination: candidates have their legal skills assessed through an exam combining one context of their choice with a sample of all skills and all contexts In all of these options questions are designed to test fundamental legal principles a solicitor should know; not detail which might be looked up.
SQE2 skills questions to discuss Pilot is exploring optionality and comparability: principle of fairness 1. Given the specialised nature of the solicitors profession and the generic nature of the qualification, is a specialised or a uniform exam more appropriate? 2. Does a uniform exam make it harder to prepare through qualifying work experience? 3. How might these options affect the SQE preparatory training you offer either for SQE1 or SQE2? 4. Would you need to supplement qualifying work experience with training for SQE2 for all or only some of these options?
Keep in touch Subscribe to the SQE Update bulletin sra.org.uk/sqeupdate SQE resources sra.org.uk/sqe Join our SQE LinkedIn group Send queries to sqe@sra.org.uk
