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We are sure you know by now that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has made the decision to change the way solicitors qualify by introducing the Solicitors Qualify Examination (SQE). In case you are not up to date, the SQE which will be rolled out in 2021, is a new four-step process set to replace traditional courses such as the Qualifying Law Degree (QLD) and the Graduate Diploma in Law, as well as the Legal Practice Course and a Training Contract.

Change can be scary, as there are often many risks involved. To help you prepare, ������Ƶ has spoken with Julie Brannan, Director of Education and Training at Solicitors Regulation Authority to answer some of the most pressing queries about the impact of the SQE. In a two part series, Brannan covers issues around the SQE’s impact on universities, training providers, legal training and law firms.

In part two of the series, Brannan addresses the SQE’s implications for legal training and law firms.

Key takeaways

Brannan considers two key questions:

• How will the SQE affect my firm? How should we adapt our training strategy?
• What strategic decisions should law firms be making regarding trainee recruitment practices following the introduction of the SQE?

Key takeaways include:

• As the SQE only assesses core legal skills, Law firms should think about what tailored training there is needed for their individual firms.
• There is scope for firms to collaborate with training providers on delivering specific skills based training needed for their firms. This can be added to the core SQE training
• The introduction of the SQE offers more flexibility and choice in terms of recruitment: ie apprenticeships, the paralegal route or the route of a traditional training contract

In case you missed part 1: “The SQE: impact on universities and training provider” can be found here.