Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) Maxine Warr Policy Manager Solicitors Regulation Authority

What is the SQE? A common assessment for anyone wishing to qualify as a solicitor It consists of stage one and stage two We will introduce it after a period of development and testing of the design and content of the SQE with an appointed assessment organisation – target date 2020

Why did we make this decision? To provide a gold standard for consumers and ensure consistency To give students more choice To give students a fair opportunity to qualify as a solicitor To give law firms will have a better guarantee of standards, a wider talent pool, better information about the performance of individual candidates and individual law schools and more flexibility to tailor their training in a way which suits their businesses Education providers will have more flexibility about how they train

SQE: four requirements for admission

A possible structure for the SQE

A possible structure for the SQE

Possible new routes to qualification

Transitional arrangements We will consult on transitional arrangements later this month. We will propose a transition period which would allow people who have commenced training under the existing system to complete their training Anyone who has started a Qualifying Law Degree or a Graduate Diploma in Law before the implementation date of the SQE (target September 2020) will be able to continue to qualify under the current system (subject to a long stop date)

Further work We are in the process of appointing an assessment organisation to develop and run the SQE We will work with stakeholders to develop a package of information and support materials for students, trainers, law firms, careers advisers

Key milestones