The SQE Explained: What Law's New Entry Point Means For The Profession
A radical overhaul of how solicitors qualify is well underway - and the whole profession should take notice.
Contents
Entry into the legal profession in England and Wales is in the midst of a revolution, and the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (the SQE) is right at the heart of it.
If you’re an aspiring lawyer Googling your next steps, or a partner scrolling from your corner office, the chances are you’ve heard the conversations and (occasional) moaning surrounding this new gateway to becoming a solicitor.
Let’s unravel why everyone, from top of the field to just starting out, should care.
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What is it?
The SQE is a radical redesign of the solicitor qualification process: a single, universally applied way to qualify as a solicitor. It represents the regulator's ambition to phase out the perceived clunkiness of the traditional Legal Practice Course (LPC) plus training contract route which has been in place for years (in some form or another).
The LPC is being phased out as part of the transition to the SQE system. Anyone who started an undergraduate degree or law conversion after September 2021 must now pass the SQE to qualify as a solicitor.
Key dates and deadlines
Final LPC Intakes
September 2025: Last full-time LPC courses will commence.
September 2026: Final part-time LPC courses will begin.
All LPC programs must be completed by July 2028.
Transitional Period
Candidates who started or accepted an offer for a qualifying law degree, GDL, LPC or training contract before 1 September 2021 are eligible to qualify under the LPC route.
These individuals have until 31 December 2032 to complete their qualification.
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addleshaw Goddard | £52,000 | £56,000 | £100,000 |
| Akin Gump | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Ashurst | £57,000 | £62,000 | £140,000 |
| Baker McKenzie | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Bird & Bird | £47,000 | £52,000 | £98,000 |
| Bristows | £46,000 | £50,000 | £88,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| Burges Salmon | £47,000 | £49,000 | £72,000 |
| Charles Russell Speechlys | £50,000 | £53,000 | £88,000 |
| Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | £57,500 | £62,500 | £164,500 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clyde & Co | £47,000 | £49,500 | £85,000 |
| CMS | £50,000 | £55,000 | £120,000 |
| Cooley | £55,000 | £60,000 | £157,000 |
| Davis Polk | £65,000 | £70,000 | £170,000 |
| Debevoise | £55,000 | £60,000 | £173,000 |
| Dechert | £55,000 | £61,000 | £165,000 |
| Dentons | £50,000 | £54,000 | £100,000 |
| DLA Piper | £52,000 | £57,000 | £130,000 |
| Eversheds Sutherland | £46,000 | £50,000 | £110,000 |
| Farrer & Co | £47,000 | £49,000 | £88,000 |
| Fieldfisher | £48,500 | £52,000 | £95,000 |
| Freshfields | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Fried Frank | £55,000 | £60,000 | £175,000 |
| Gibson Dunn | £60,000 | £65,000 | £180,000 |
| Goodwin Procter | £55,000 | £60,000 | £175,000 |
| Gowling WLG | £48,500 | £53,500 | £98,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| HFW | £50,000 | £54,000 | £103,500 |
| Hill Dickinson | £43,000 | £45,000 | £80,000 |
| Hogan Lovells | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Irwin Mitchell | £43,000 | £45,000 | £76,000 |
| Jones Day | £56,000 | £65,000 | £160,000 |
| K&L Gates | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| Kennedys | £43,000 | £46,000 | £85,000 |
| King & Spalding | £55,000 | £60,000 | £165,000 |
| Kirkland & Ellis | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| Latham & Watkins | £60,000 | £65,000 | £174,418 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Mayer Brown | £55,000 | £60,000 | £135,000 |
| McDermott Will & Emery | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Milbank | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Mills & Reeve | £45,000 | £47,000 | £82,000 |
| Mischon de Reya | £47,500 | £52,500 | £95,000 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | £50,000 | £55,000 | £135,000 |
| Orrick | £55,000 | £60,000 | £160,000 |
| Osborne Clarke | £54,500 | £56,000 | £94,000 |
| Paul Hastings | £60,000 | £68,000 | £173,000 |
| Paul Weiss | £55,000 | £60,000 | £180,000 |
| Penningtons Manches Cooper | £48,000 | £50,000 | £83,000 |
| Pinsent Masons | £49,500 | £54,000 | £105,000 |
| Quinn Emanuel | n/a | n/a | £180,000 |
| Reed Smith | £50,000 | £55,000 | £125,000 |
| Ropes & Gray | £60,000 | £65,000 | £165,000 |
| RPC | £46,000 | £50,000 | £90,000 |
| Shoosmiths | £43,000 | £45,000 | £97,000 |
| Sidley Austin | £60,000 | £65,000 | £175,000 |
| Simmons & Simmons | £52,000 | £57,000 | £120,000 |
| Skadden | £58,000 | £63,000 | £173,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Squire Patton Boggs | £47,000 | £50,000 | £110,000 |
| Stephenson Harwood | £50,000 | £55,000 | £100,000 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | £65,000 | £70,000 | £174,418 |
| Taylor Wessing | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| TLT | £44,000 | £47,500 | £85,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
| Trowers & Hamlins | £45,000 | £49,000 | £80,000 |
| Vinson & Elkins | £60,000 | £65,000 | £173,077 |
| Watson Farley & Williams | £50,000 | £55,000 | £102,000 |
| Weightmans | £34,000 | £36,000 | £70,000 |
| Weil Gotshal & Manges | £60,000 | £65,000 | £170,000 |
| White & Case | £62,000 | £67,000 | £175,000 |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher | £60,000 | £65,000 | £170,000 |
| Withers | £47,000 | £52,000 | £95,000 |
| Womble Bond Dickinson | £43,000 | £45,000 | £80,000 |
Rank | Law Firm | Revenue | Profit per Equity Partner (PEP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DLA Piper* | £3,010,000,000 | £2,400,000 |
| 2 | Clifford Chance | £2,300,000,000 | £2,040,000 |
| 3 | A&O Shearman | £2,200,000,000 | £2,200,000 |
| 4 | Hogan Lovells | £2,150,000,000 | £2,200,000 |
| 5 | Freshfields | £2,120,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 6 | Linklaters | £2,100,000,000 | £1,900,000 |
| 7 | Norton Rose Fulbright* | £1,800,000,000 | £1,100,000 |
| 8 | CMS** | £1,620,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 9 | Herbert Smith Freehills | £1,300,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 10 | Ashurst | £961,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 11 | Clyde & Co | £844,000,000 | £739,000 |
| 12 | Eversheds Sutherland | £749,000,000 | £1,300,000 |
| 13 | BCLP* | £661,000,000 | £748,000 |
| 14 | Pinsent Masons | £649,000,000 | £793,000 |
| 15 | Slaughter and May*** | £625,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 16 | Simmons & Simmons | £574,000,000 | £1,076,000 |
| 17 | Bird & Bird** | £545,000,000 | £696,000 |
| 18 | Addleshaw Goddard | £495,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 19 | Taylor Wessing | £480,000,000 | £915,000*** |
| 20 | Osborne Clarke** | £456,000,000 | £771,000 |
| 21 | Womble Bond Dickinson | £448,000,000 | £556,000 |
| 22 | DWF | £435,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 23 | Fieldfisher | £407,000,000 | £966,000 |
| 24 | Kennedys | £384,000,000 | Not disclosed |
| 25 | DAC Beachcroft | £325,000,000 | £700,000 |
What do City lawyers actually do each day?
For a closer look at the day-to-day of some of the most common types of lawyers working in corporate law firms, explore our lawyer job profiles:
How it works
The SQE comes in two stages of examination with a target of reducing financial gatekeeping, promising to make a career in law more accessible to all. Candidates have to pass both stages and also undertake two years' of "Qualifying Work Experience" (i.e. within a firm or business providing legal services) to qualify as a solicitor.
The SQE allows a broader range of legal work experience (paralegal, legal clinic, third-year LLB placements, volunteering) to count towards these two years of QWE - which, unlike with the LPC, can be completed before, after or even alongside the SQE exams.
| Firm | London office since | Known for in London |
|---|---|---|
| Baker McKenzie | 1961 | Finance, capital markets, TMT |
| Davis Polk | 1972 | Leveraged finance, corporate/M&A |
| Gibson Dunn | 1979 | Private equity, arbitration, energy, resources and infrastructure |
| Goodwin | 2008 | Private equity, funds, life sciences |
| Kirkland & Ellis | 1994 | Private equity, funds, restructuring |
| Latham & Watkins | 1990 | Finance, private equity, capital markets |
| Milbank | 1979 | Finance, capital markets, energy, resources and infrastructure |
| Paul Hastings | 1997 | Leveraged finance, structured finance, infrastructure |
| Paul Weiss | 2001 | Private equity, leveraged finance |
| Quinn Emanuel | 2008 | Litigation |
| Sidley Austin | 1974 | Leveraged finance, capital markets, corporate/M&A |
| Simpson Thacher | 1978 | Leveraged finance, private equity, funds |
| Skadden | 1988 | Finance, corporate/M&A, arbitration |
| Weil | 1996 | Restructuring, private equity, leverage finance |
| White & Case | 1971 | Capital markets, arbitration, energy, resources and infrastructure |
| Law firm | Type | First-year salary |
|---|---|---|
| White & Case | US firm | £32,000 |
| Stephenson Harwood | International | £30,000 |
| A&O Shearman | Magic Circle | £28,000 |
| Charles Russell Speechlys | International | £28,000 |
| Freshfields | Magic Circle | £28,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | Silver Circle | £28,000 |
| Hogan Lovells | International | £28,000 |
| Linklaters | Magic Circle | £28,000 |
| Mishcon de Reya | International | £28,000 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | International | £28,000 |
Here’s what you need to know about it:
SQE1
SQE1 is essentially the knowledge test. Picture a mountain of multiple-choice questions, designed to test whether you understand the legal foundations to the standards of a practising solicitor .
Whereas the LPC only expected candidates to have the knowledge of a trainee solicitor, the SQE expects the know-how of a newly qualified one.
Candidates are required to hold knowledge of a whole breadth of law including contract, tort, property, public, criminal and the list goes on.
SQE1 is meant to be rigorous and standardised. The test draws a metaphorical line: you either have enough of an understanding of the law to pass, or you don’t (therefore earning its brutal reputation). There are no prizes for anything less than a pass. Â
Candidates sit two Functioning Legal Knowledge assessments (FLK1 and FLK2). Fail one, and you fail the SQE1 as a whole - a design feature which, while promoting breadth of knowledge, has fuelled controversy and more than a little stress for candidates. In a small sign of understanding from these exams, candidates can however carry their FLK pass result forward and simply resit the remaining paper they previously failed.
The exams themselves are gruelling. Both parts of SQE1 are tested with five-hour exams, with just a one-hour break in between. This is one of the biggest practical differences between the SQE and LPC, which had more manageable exam structures.
SQE2
SQE2 is hands-on. Here candidates are asked to perform tasks solicitors face in practice: client interviewing, legal research, advocacy, drafting and more. The goal is to see if you can translate all that legal theory into practical proficiency.
Low entry bar
What are the requirements for beginning this SQE journey? Absolutely none.
Provided candidates have enough cash in their pockets to pay the (ever increasing) exam fees, there are zero barriers for the average Joe or Joanne preventing them from sitting SQE1 this year.
But, once you've completed the SQE exams, to qualify as a solicitor you will also need:
- a degree level qualification;
- at least two years qualifying experience; and
- to pass the SRA’s suitability screening.
To find out more about the qualification requirements via the SQE route, visit the Solicitors Regulation Authority website here.
Why the overhaul?
The answer, in principle, is simple: standardisation and fairness. The previous system was expensive and for many required inroads to make a career in law feasible. The profession wanted:
Greater diversity
By removing the distinction between LPC and GDL (law conversion) graduates, the SQE aims for a level playing field. SRA statistics show that the traditional training contract often generated a bottleneck: in some areas only half of admitted trainees were state-educated and ethnic minority representation in senior posts has remained stubbornly low.
A national benchmark
Previously, the wide range of course providers meant different regimes and a lack of consistency.
Cost
At around £4,500 in exam fees, the SQE is intended to be more affordable than the LPC, where total costs routinely topped £15,000 (heavily subsidised by law firms for the lucky few that had secured a training contract beforehand).
However,  critics note the associated prep materials/courses, which are not mandatory but considered unavoidable for most, easily snowball this estimate. In total, the cost of the SQE, including exam fees and preparation courses from the best-known providers, often ends back at the £15,000 mark.
Pass rates and preparation
Here is where things tend to get a little choppy...
Since its launch, the SQE has drawn headlines for the tough reality of its first stage. According to the SRA’s own reports, the average pass rate for SQE1 has commonly settled below 50% causing some amount of alarm for prospective candidates and others pulling out altogether. On the other hand, the pass rate for SQE2 generally remains higher, at about 77%, but this is largely down to the fact that candidates are only eligible for the SQE2 exams once they have passed both parts of SQE1, rather than SQE2 being significantly easier.
What's going on?
Methodology failures
The SQE1 format is supposed to be objective and fairer than traditional assessments. However, not everyone is convinced. The lowest-hanging fruit of criticism notes that a single bad day or weaker performance in one half of subjects can upend months of hard work.
Inequity in preparation
Though the exam pathway is now open to non-traditional candidates, some say the SRA has "outsourced" the very same issues that plagued other qualification routes: the fees. Particularly with SQE1’s deflating pass rates, many consider these optional prep courses to be entirely compulsory if candidates are to have any chance of achieving that so-desired pass mark.
Stress, setbacks and self-doubt
Unlike the old system, where failures in one subject wouldn’t necessarily take down your whole sitting, the SQE’s "all or nothing" approach exerts psychological pressure on each and every candidate. Should they fall at any hurdle, candidates face months between available sittings which hardly boosts confidence, morale, or finances.
Old guard, new challenges
For some more established lawyers, the chatter around the SQE might feed doubts about its rigour. There’s a risk that snobbery takes root, echoing outdated sentiments from the LPC era.
Yet here’s the reality: the SQE is not designed to lower the bar, but to ensure that everyone who qualifies can demonstrate a consistent level of legal skill and competence. If anything, the resilience needed to navigate the somewhat still uncharted waters of the SQE route deserves admiration, not side-eye scepticism.
Some City firms have previously said future trainees who fail the SQE on their first attempt won’t be allowed to retake. This adds extra pressure on those lucky enough to secure a training contract before sitting the SQE.
What’s needed now, especially from senior lawyers and gatekeepers of the profession:
Recognise the context
Many junior colleagues or job candidates will have the increased pressure that comes with "spinning plates". The number of prospects who can dedicate 100% of their time to work will become a minority as SQE candidates balance revision for exams with undertaking their years of qualifying experience. This is not a negative. The candidates that succeed are blazing a path with less institutional support and will be stronger lawyers for it.
Actively support and mentor
Experienced solicitors and partners have an important role in smoothing the onramp for SQE candidates. Via mentorship and open dialogue, established lawyers already have every tool needed to encourage their juniors.
Modernise recruitment
Relying solely on traditional academic markers may risk overlooking resourceful future colleagues. One firm’s loss will always be another’s gain.
The challenge, not the candidate
Despite vocal concerns, the SQE’s challenges are structural, not personal. Declining pass rates demand attention from law schools, training providers and firms but shouldn’t undermine the tenacity of those who clear the hurdles.
As for candidates, they must be transparent about what’s involved, and prepared to invest time in self-guided study, network-building, and, yes, a measure of stoicism. For senior practitioners, the moment is ripe to support and encourage these new entrants and recognise the pressure their colleagues/employees are under.
Where next?
The SQE is still in its infancy and the SRA will need to work hard and move quickly to iron out its early failures before it becomes the sole qualifying method at the start of 2033. The priorities must be to address the inequities in pass rates and to make preparation genuinely accessible to budding lawyers no matter their financial background.
It would be wrong to view the SQE as either a success or a failure at this stage however, for a profession which constantly demands evolution from its structures, it would perhaps be wrong to see the SQE as anything more than it currently is: a work in progress.
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&O Shearman | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Clifford Chance | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Linklaters | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashurst | £57,000 | £62,000 | £140,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
| Firm | Merger year | Known for in London |
|---|---|---|
| BCLP | 2018 | Real estate, corporate/M&A, litigation |
| DLA Piper | 2005 | Corporate/M&A, real estate, energy, resources and infrastructure |
| Eversheds Sutherland | 2017 | Corporate/M&A, finance |
| Hogan Lovells | 2011 | Litigation, regulation, finance |
| Mayer Brown | 2002 | Finance, capital markets, real estate |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | 2013 | Energy, resources and infrastructure, insurance, finance |
| Reed Smith | 2007 | Shipping, finance, TMT |
| Squire Patton Boggs | 2011 | Corporate/M&A, pensions, TMT |
Nathan Chalmers is a trainee solicitor at a London-based law firm. He is in the process of sitting his SQE exams.
Law Firm | Trainee First Year | Trainee Second Year | Newly Qualified (NQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashurst | £57,000 | £62,000 | £140,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 | £55,000 | £115,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer | £56,000 | £61,000 | £135,000 |
| Macfarlanes | £56,000 | £61,000 | £140,000 |
| Travers Smith | £54,000 | £59,000 | £120,000 |
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