All you need to know about Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)

As one of the most important component of the qualification process, each candidate who wishes to qualify as a solicitor in England & Wales will have to justify of having 2 years of relevant work experience within the legal industry.

Previously, the LPC route required candidates to apply for a training contract. With a vision to open the profession, become inclusive and flexible, the SQE route accepts other forms of experience which are less selective and perhaps hard to achieve.

All candidates, (except foreign qualified lawyers who are automatically exempt), will need to complete at least 2 years of full-time (or equivalent).

Type of experience

If the type of experience within the legal industry is quite flexible, it is always best practice to confirm with the SRA if a specific experience can be counted as QWE.

Generally, QWE could include the following:

• Summer work placements

• Paid or volunteer work

• Working in a law clinic

• Volunteering with a charitable organisation or a law centre

• Paralegal experience

• Training contract

Modalities and Requirements

The main requirements are that the experience must be signed off by an employer qualified in England & Wales, and that even if employers are free to set their own training arrangements, they must meet the SRA's minimum requirements.

Often employers or the person signing off the experience will not require a report of the tasks accomplished but it can be requested. Hence it is always best to record the tasks to avoid forgetting any in the future. When registering the experience on the SRA portal, candidates will have to fill a series of information and wait for the said employer to confirm that the information are correct to valid the experience.

The experience can be gained before, during or after sitting the SQE assessments, and in previous roles. The SRA does not require any specific order to process, other than passing the SQE1 before sitting the SQE2. QWE can be completed in England & Wales or overseas, and does not need to cover English and Welsh law.

There is no minimum length of time for placements but the candidate can have a maximum of 4 organisations providing legal services registered as QWE. 

SRA Character and Suitability

Along with this step, candidates will have to satisfy the test of character and suitability.

The conditions under this requirement are as follows:

• No criminal record

• No record of dishonesty

• No serious credit or money issues

This test is checked at the time of applying for admission, after passing the SQE assessments and the QWE.

We hope this article helped you! If you have further questions on this topic, do not hesitate to send a message to frenchlegalprofessionals@gmail.com.

Article by Aurelia Pyneeandee

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