Reed Smith has refreshed its Professional SQE Programme (PSQE) and partnered with The College of Legal Practice (CoLP) as its sole academic provider for future trainees. The PSQE is a hybrid learning and work experience programme that all future trainee solicitors at Reed Smith embark on in the year leading up to their training contract […]
With the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) expecting income derived from the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) to double this year, there are concerns that the regulator is treating its new way of training lawyers as a “huge cash cow”. According to the SRA’s annual business plan and budget consultation paper, SQE income is expected to more […]
The total cost for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) has already seen an increase of 11 per cent in the first two years of its rollout…and that’s just the exam fees. Firms and candidates alike are bemoaning the hidden costs the SQE can bring on top of the price of the exam and law school. Law school historically […]
Frustrated Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) candidates are calling on the SRA to increase accessibility to the appeals process after a results error saw 175 candidates mistakenly told they had failed their exams. On Monday last week, the SRA announced that 175 candidates who sat SQE1 in January and were told they had failed on 14 […]
The Lawyer‘s Christian Smith, Catrin Griffiths, Richard Simmons, Katy Dowell and Charlotte Lear are joined by College of Legal Practice CEO Giles Proctor for this emergency episode of The Lawyer Podcast as they discuss the latest Solicitors Qualification Exam debacle: marking errors that led to 175 students being incorrectly told they had failed. What went […]
Nearly 200 law students were incorrectly told they had failed their first set of Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) exams, in what the chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has called “the most serious operational mistake that we’ve made in the last two and half years.” Kaplan, the exam administrator for the SQE, has […]
As pass rates for the first stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) stagnate at a 52 per cent average for 2022/23, City firm recruiters and early careers leaders are voicing concerns about their future pipeline planning. Certainly, a consistent pass rate confirms the goals of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to create what it […]
The legal landscape in England and Wales is rapidly transforming with the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). This shift in the qualification process for legal professionals is reshaping the traditional route to becoming a solicitor, and by 2032, all existing routes will be officially phased out, making it the sole option for aspiring […]
The UK’s next generation of solicitors is performing well in SQE across ethics and professional conduct… but what’s going on with legal services and wills? The Lawyer dives into the most recent round of SQE performance statistics.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is set to hike fees for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) for the second time in two years, while glossing over issues in the rollout of the exam in its latest annual report. From September this year, the cost of the SQE exams will increase by 5 per cent across […]
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has come under fire for its candidate confidentiality policy for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), as the backlash surrounding the latest set of results rumbles on. A lack of transparency around the content is said to be having a negative impact on preparation course delivery and candidates’ ability to make […]
Controversy surrounding rescinding training contract offers from future trainees after they fail the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) on their first try has divided elite City firms. Where Clifford Chance and Slaughter and May have been reported to have rescinded training contract offers from future trainees who have failed SQE1 on their first attempt, Freshfields Bruckhaus […]