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How to Qualify as a Solicitor
A solicitor is a qualified lawyer in England and Wales, authorised to advise on and act in matters of law on behalf of individual and corporate clients. Qualification as a solicitor opens opportunities for employment in private practice, in-house legal departments and the public sector.
Admission to the roll of solicitors rests on four requirements, each set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). These requirements are summarised below.
A degree in any subject, or equivalent
The first requirement for qualification is a UK degree in any subject, or an equivalent Level 6 qualification (including non-UK degrees). Any discipline can satisfy this condition, from history to engineering or modern languages. A law degree or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) is not necessary.
Please note: Candidates without a degree are not excluded from this route, but are assessed against the SRA's own criteria for equivalent qualifications and experience. Anyone in this position should confirm their eligibility directly with the SRA.
2. Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
The second requirement is completion of both stages of the SQE (SQE1 and SQE2).
3. Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)
The third requirement is two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). This is practical legal work that gives a candidate the chance to develop the competencies the SRA expects of a newly qualified solicitor.
QWE is flexible by design. It can be gained with up to four different organisations. Settings include law firms, in-house teams and legal advice centres, among others.
This can be completed before, during and after the SQE assessments.
4. Character and suitability requirements
The SRA applies its own character and suitability requirements to every applicant for admission to the roll of solicitors.
Please note: The SRA sets eligibility for qualification as a solicitor. Before committing to any programme of preparation for the SQE, prospective candidates may wish to confirm their own position directly with the SRA. See sra.org.uk for information from the SRA on qualification requirements and elibility.
About the SQE
An open route to a rewarding career in the legal profession
Access to the profession of solicitor has significantly increased since the introduction of the centrally assessed Solicitors Qualifying Examination. The SQE is now the primary examination for entry to the profession, open to graduates of any discipline. It is a single examination with two stages, SQE1 and SQE2. Generally, candidates must pass both on the way to qualification.
SQE1: Functioning Legal Knowledge
SQE1 is the knowledge stage of qualification. It tests Functioning Legal Knowledge, the substantive law of England and Wales, across two papers: FLK1 and FLK2.
FLK1 covers Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract Law, Tort, and Legal Services. It also covers the Legal System of England and Wales, including Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law.
FLK2 covers Property Law and Practice, Wills and the Administration of Estates, Land Law, Trusts Law, Criminal Liability, Criminal Law and Practice, and Solicitors Accounts.
Single best answer questions
Every question in SQE1 is a single best answer question. It sets out a factual scenario followed by five options, only one of which is correct. The other four are not always obviously wrong. Most may look defensible at first reading. The task is to identify the option that most accurately reflects the law as applied to the facts, not merely to spot a true statement. That distinction is where the real challenge lies. It calls for command of the law and precision of reading together.
SQE2: Legal Skills
Where SQE1 tests whether you know the law, SQE2 tests whether you can use it. This second stage assesses six legal skills across sixteen separate stations: twelve written and four oral.
The written stations assess case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing and legal drafting.
The oral stations are role-play exercises conducted in front of an assessor. They test advocacy and client interviewing, together with the attendance note and legal analysis that accompany the interview.
Those skills are tested within five practice areas: Criminal Law and Practice (Criminal Litigation); Dispute Resolution; Property Practice; Wills and the Administration of Estates; and Business Law and Practice. Each draws on a defined slice of the law tested at SQE1. Ethics is tested throughout.
A Note on SQE Registration
Registering to study with us and registering to sit the SQE assessments are entirely separate matters. Woodroffe Legal Education is an independent training provider. The SQE is centrally assessed by the SRA's appointed assessment organisation, Kaplan. The SRA sets its own eligibility criteria for candidates. Registration for the assessments must be completed directly with the SRA. See sqe.sra.org.uk for SRA information on eligibility and the process of registration for examination.
Preparing for the SQE with Woodroffe Legal Education
Although prior qualifications or work experience in law are not required, thorough, independent preparation for the SQE is essential. We offer three ways to prepare. Between them, they address both stages of the SQE (SQE1 and SQE2).
SQE1 Short Courses
Woodroffe's SQE1 Short Courses build knowledge across FLK1 and FLK2, one subject at a time. Each course runs for a minimum of six weeks. It pairs a live weekly lecture with a smaller, interactive weekly class on the same topic. Both are delivered online and taught directly by an experienced law lecturer and tutor. This live teaching works together with prescribed reading, your own independent study and other activities, such as online quizzes, to cover each subject's syllabus.
The lecture sets out the fundamentals of law for each topic.
The class, held in a group of no more than ten students, tests and applies the law through single best answer practice.
No prior legal qualification is required to take a short course. Courses can be booked individually, so you can concentrate on the subjects that most need attention. The format works from any starting point, from new to legal study to already working in a legal environment. It offers structured, live teaching without asking you to commit to more than one course at a time.
One-to-One SQE1 Tuition
Where the short courses build a subject from the ground up, one-to-one SQE1 tuition is shaped entirely around the individual student. Each session is delivered live and online, and taught directly by an experienced tutor. Sessions are taught by working through single best answer questions in discussion, on whatever subject and topics a student's preparation needs at that point. That flexibility suits students consolidating existing knowledge, sharpening technique ahead of an exam sitting, or building knowledge of a subject from scratch.
One-to-One SQE2 Skills Coaching
Delivered live and online, these personalised sessions focus on rehearsal, repetition and direct feedback on the presentation and performance of legal skills.
Coaching is tailored to the particular skills or stations a student needs to work on. It also reflects each student's background and needs. A student might be moving on from SQE1, resitting, transitioning from the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or preparing under an SQE1 exemption. What a given session focuses on, and how it is taught, is agreed between student and tutor beforehand.
Oral skills such as client interviewing and advocacy are typically practised through role-play and immediate feedback.
Written skills such as drafting, legal research, and case and matter analysis are typically developed through written exercises and reviewed together with a tutor.
Taught Live. Delivered Online.
Live teaching sits at the centre of each of our SQE preparation programmes. Sessions and classes are delivered online, in real time. It is the combination of structured independent study and this live, responsive engagement that keeps preparation on track and turns knowledge into performance.
Next Steps
If you know which Woodroffe SQE preparation programme suits you, please refer to the relevant page for more detail, including how to book:
If you are still weighing up where to begin, please contact us for further information or for help in deciding your next step.
Registering with us and registering to sit the SQE assessments are entirely separate matters. Woodroffe Legal Education is an independent training provider. The SQE is centrally assessed by the SRA's appointed assessment organisation. The SRA sets its own eligibility criteria for candidates. Registration for the SQE assessments must be completed directly with the SRA. Current information on eligibility and the registration process is available at sqe.sra.org.uk.
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