Solicitors Qualifying Examination

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Commercial Lens Compass.

My name is Daniel Shepherd and I'm an SQE student and future trainee solicitor.

This week, we're looking at Virgin's plans to run trains through the Channel Tunnel.

Britain's rail regulator, the ORR, has pre-approved a track access agreement that lets Virgin use High Speed 1, the line between London St Pancras and the tunnel, for up to 20 daily return services to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam between 2030 and 2040.

during the week and a practice advice service based on our library.

And we run a whole series of different career learning events.

Other areas that we focused on more recently is some of the obvious issues for people who are in the SQE1 and SQE2 area about how they manage their early career stress, you know, as they're going through the whole exam process.

and then coming out the other side of it and looking to progress as quickly as they can.

And our approach to some of these issues has always been that it doesn't mean we have to reinvent the wheel.

So my PGDL exams were open book and lots of them are multiple choice.

And I think lots of the GDL providers are sort of trying to gear people towards the SQE because Molly and I both are planning on qualifying as solicitors.

So that is the route that we'll be going down.

And obviously lots of other people who do law conversions will also be going down that SQE route.

And I think they're sort of trying to prep people for that.

Obviously, the SQE is completely closed book.

And even though I had my I was able to have my notes in my GDL exams and the way that they do it with the multiple choice questions where you get two minutes per question, you don't have time to be looking through your notes and thinking, oh, gosh, you know, what's a robbery? I need to like look that up.

So because the exam because there are so many multiple choice questions within GDL.

Each episode, we explore a key issue shaping the legal and business landscape, helping you build the clarity and confidence to discuss it by breaking it down into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

I'm Sam, an SQE student and future trainee solicitor, and I'm joined today by Emma.

Would you like to introduce yourself and tell us a bit about what you do, Emma?

Of course.

And I'm joined by my colleague, Nadia, a writer who also works at Legal Cheek.

Today, we're discussing the SQE.

Um, more specifically, should I do the SQE even though I don't have a training contract? So, um, as for those who aren't aware, um, in order to qualify as a solicitor in the UK, you need to complete the Solicitor's Qualifying Examination, um, which we know as the SQE, as well as two years of qualifying work experience.

So for many aspiring solicitors, one of the biggest perks of securing a training contract is having the firm sponsor their SQE preparation and exams.

Um, and many firms also provide maintenance grants to support you whilst you study.

Um, but as I think we're all very much aware, securing a training contract is far from easy.

So self-funding the SQE, um, I think is becoming an increasingly common route.

Um, so self-funding can seem like a bit of a gamble, so particularly if you look at the SQE pass rates, and there's a lot of kind of fear-mongering around these figures.

Each episode, we explore a key issue shaping the legal and business landscape, helping you build the clarity and confidence to discuss it by breaking it down to three levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced.

I'm Sam, an SQE student and future training solicitor.

I'm joined today by Henry.

How are you today, Henry?

So just look at this.

You're welcome.

I'm a lecturer now on the SQE.

Another career option for you.