How does the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) compare to Legal Practice Course (LPC)?
The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is the route many solicitors have taken for decades in order to become a qualified solicitor in England and Wales but things are now changing.
Previously aspiring solicitors would graduate with a law degree or have taken a conversion course such as the Postgraduate Diploma or Graduate Diploma in Law followed by the LPC.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) has now been introduced offering an alternative route which will eventually phase out the LPC.
This means students who have a UK undergraduate degree can undertake the SQE as can those who have work experience equivalent to a degree such as a solicitor apprenticeship.
The LPC
The LPC takes one or two years to complete, depending on whether you complete the full or part time course. The course comprises of the foundation modules including the core practice areas followed by the elected areas of law in which you are interested in specialising in.
The course aims to provide students with skills including advocacy, legal research, interviewing and advising and drafting legal writing.
There are various exams including written, oral, multiple choice and take-home assessments.
In order to qualify the LPC is followed by a two year training contract, where you will gain experience and skills in a legal setting to support your knowledge. The training contract usually includes four different seats, six months for each, but this isn’t always the case.
The SQE
Unlike the LPC the SQE is not a course. The SQE is two sets of exams:
SQE 1:
- Legal knowledge regarding various practice areas.
- There are two papers each with 180 multiple choice questions.
SQE 2:
- Oral and written legal skills.
- This includes online and face to face assessments including advocacy, interviewing and legal analysis, legal research, legal drafting and legal writing.
Qualifying Work Experience to become a Solicitor
In order to qualify aspiring solicitors need to complete the QWE, which consists of two years of Qualifying Work Experience. This can be done with one firm as with the Training Contract or with up to four organisations in a maximum of four periods, with the opportunity to work in a variety of legal settings to maximise their exposure to diverse matters.
Although the timing of the QWE isn’t specified it would be advantageous if you are able to gain some legal work experience prior to sitting the SQE 2 as this exam relates to skills rather than knowledge.
How long does it take to become a qualified Solicitor through the SQE and LPC?
The LPC route will take 3-4 years to complete depending on whether you do the full or part time course.
The SQE can be completed from 8 months to 6 years.
The SQE study course can be taken with as little as 8-10 hours learning per week but of course it will take longer to complete this way.
Which qualifying route is best for me?
Choosing the right route is completely down to you but it’s worth taking into consideration the following:
- Cost – The SQE is intended to reduce the overall cost of qualifying – however as the SQE doesn’t include a preparation course. You will need to take into account the cost of these to give you the best chances of passing and not having to re-sit the assessments.
- Preferred assessment – the LPC focuses on practical application of knowledge with assessments undertaken throughout the course. In comparison, the SQE assessments are much more intense with two assessments lasting just over five hours each.
- The types of firms you would like to work for and what their current preferred route is – some firms will prefer the LPC although many will be open to both qualification routes. So, do your research.
- Existing experience – if you have some legal experience you can check with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as to whether this can be considered towards your QWE.
Further Reading on the pathways to becoming a Qualified Solicitor
The SRA have an extremely useful tool on their website to help you decide the best pathway for your qualification. Click here to access the tool.
Written by Nikki Phillips, Senior Recruitment Consultant specialising in the Legal sector.
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