How to become a solicitor in the UK

If you want to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales, the route has changed significantly since 2021. The old Legal Practice Course (LPC) is being phased out in favour of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). This guide explains what you need to do, how long it takes, what it costs, and what the daily work actually looks like once you're qualified.

The short version

To qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales, you need to:

Complete a law degree or equivalent qualification (3 years)
Pass SQE1 (Functioning Legal Knowledge)
Complete 2 years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)
Pass SQE2 (Practical Legal Skills)
Meet character and suitability requirements
Apply for admission to the Roll of Solicitors

The SQE replaces the old LPC route. It is cheaper, takes about the same time overall, and you can take the exams before or after your work experience.

At a glance

Stage	Length	Cost	Notes
Law degree (or conversion)	3 years	£9,250-£45,000	Full degree or 1-year conversion diploma if non-law background
SQE1 (written exams)	12-18 months prep	£3,680-£4,500	Two sittings available per year
SQE2 (practical skills)	6-12 months prep	£4,000-£5,000	Requires proof of SQE1 pass before sitting
Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)	2 years	Variable	Overlaps with SQE preparation; employment contract required
Total	3-5 years	£20,000-£55,000	Debt, sponsorship, or self-funding depending on route

The SQE route (Solicitors Qualifying Examination)

The SQE is the new mandatory qualification for solicitors in England and Wales. It has been compulsory since September 2021 for anyone new to the profession. The examination is run by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

The SQE has two components: SQE1 (functioning legal knowledge, multiple-choice and short-answer written exams) and SQE2 (practical legal skills, simulations based on real client work). You must pass SQE1 before you sit SQE2.

The key innovation of the SQE is that the order is flexible. You can sit SQE1 before, during, or after your qualifying work experience. This means you can start work as soon as you have your law degree, then study for the exams while earning a salary. Many people now take SQE1 in their final year of university.

The SRA set the SQE to be less prescriptive than the old LPC. Instead of requiring a particular course structure, the SRA sets a standard and leaves preparation providers free to design their own routes. This has created a competitive market with prices ranging from £3,680 to over £10,000 depending on the provider and format (online, part-time, intensive, or part of a university programme).

SQE1: Functioning Legal Knowledge

SQE1 tests the legal knowledge you need to function as a solicitor. It covers 13 areas of law:

Constitutional and administrative law
Criminal law
Property law
Contract law
Tort law
Equity and trusts
Business law
Public law
Family law
Commercial law
Legal services regulation
Professional conduct and ethics
Dispute resolution

SQE1 is assessed via two written papers, each lasting 3 hours. Paper 1 (72 multiple-choice questions) and Paper 2 (10 short-answer questions). You must achieve at least 60% in each paper to pass.

The SRA publishes detailed specifications for each area, including the learning outcomes, so you know exactly what to study. Preparation providers offer courses ranging from 12 to 18 months. You can sit SQE1 twice per year, in March and September.

Most people sit SQE1 while studying their law degree or in the year immediately after graduation. If you already have a law degree and work experience, you may be able to prepare in 6 to 9 months.

SQE2: Practical Legal Skills

SQE2 tests whether you can actually perform the tasks a solicitor performs on behalf of clients. It is entirely scenario-based, presented as simulations of real client work.

There are four stations, each lasting 1 hour 45 minutes:

Client interviewing and advice (you play the solicitor, conduct a consultation)
Legal research and writing (you draft a legal document or opinion)
Case and transaction management (you manage a hypothetical legal matter)
Dispute resolution (you prepare for negotiation, mediation, or court representation)

Each station is watched by an examiner and assessed against a detailed rubric. The threshold for passing is also 60%. Unlike SQE1, which is marked by machine, SQE2 requires human marking, so results take longer (6 to 8 weeks).

To sit SQE2, you must have already passed SQE1 and completed at least 2 years of Qualifying Work Experience. The SRA allows you to sit SQE2 once you have 20 months of QWE completed and a written confirmation from your employer that you will complete the full 2 years.

SQE2 is offered in two sessions per year, typically in June and December. Most people prepare for 6 to 12 months. The cost ranges from £4,000 to £5,000 for a preparation course.

Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) explained

Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) is the mandatory period of employment during which you develop real skills under supervision before becoming fully qualified.

You need 2 years of QWE. This must be completed with an "approved training provider." The vast majority of approved providers are law firms, but the SRA also approves corporate legal departments, local authorities, charities, and other organisations with in-house legal teams. You can even do QWE in certain overseas law firms if your employer is part of a multi-jurisdictional firm.

The key requirement is that you work under the supervision of a qualified solicitor (or barrister, or lawyer of equivalent standing in a prescribed foreign jurisdiction). Your supervisor must certify that you have been given a breadth of legal work and an opportunity to develop your practical legal skills.

The work itself must expose you to different areas of law. You do not need to work on eight different areas, but you should get a taste of client contact, legal advice, drafting, negotiation, research, and other core skills. Many firms rotate trainees every 4 to 6 months to achieve this breadth.

You can count only 80% of your time as QWE if you are studying for the SQE alongside your work. So if you study for 6 months while working full-time, only 4.8 months will count. Part-time work (20 hours or fewer per week) does not count toward QWE.

Your employer must be registered with the SRA as an approved training provider. If you are considering an organisation that is not a law firm, check with the SRA before accepting the position.

Character and suitability requirements

The SRA assesses your character and suitability to be a solicitor. This is a mandatory requirement for admission.

In practice, character and suitability is a low bar for most people. The SRA is looking for undisclosed criminal convictions, bankruptcy, dishonesty, or professional misconduct. If you have a minor criminal record (e.g. a motoring offence), you will usually be required to disclose it, but it does not automatically bar you from qualifying. The SRA publishes a full list of the factors it considers, and you can apply for pre-admission guidance if you have any concerns.

If you have been excluded from a university, struck off from a professional body, or convicted of a crime, you will need to make a full disclosure and may be asked to demonstrate that you are now suitable to be a solicitor. The SRA is broadly supportive of rehabilitation, particularly if there is evidence of good character over time.

You will need to provide references from your law school and your employer(s). Most employers are happy to provide these as a matter of course.

The legacy LPC route (still open in transition)

The Legal Practice Course (LPC) was the old route to qualification. It was a one-year full-time or two-year part-time postgraduate diploma in professional legal practice. It has been phased out but is still available to those who started their studies before 1 September 2021.

If you studied the LPC and did not complete it by the deadline, you will now need to take the SQE instead. The SRA does not allow a mixture of the two routes.

The LPC is less relevant now because the SQE is cheaper, more flexible, and no longer requires a specific taught course. If you started an LPC in the past, you should contact the SRA for guidance on your specific circumstances.

Cost of qualifying (SQE fees, prep courses, debt reality)

Qualifying as a solicitor is not cheap, but the SQE is cheaper than the old LPC route overall.

SQE1 preparation: £3,680 to £10,000 depending on the provider. University-based programmes are often at the lower end; private providers are at the higher end. Online-only courses are typically cheaper than in-person. A reputable course is worth paying for; cheap or unaccredited courses may leave you unprepared.

SQE1 examination fee: £1,150 per sitting (Paper 1 and Paper 2 combined).

SQE2 preparation: £4,000 to £5,000.

SQE2 examination fee: £1,550 per sitting.

Law degree: If you are studying a law degree at a UK university, tuition fees are £9,250 per year for domestic students (£27,750 total). International fees are £15,000 to £45,000 per year depending on the university. This is often funded via student loans, bursaries, or sponsorship.

If you are not a law graduate, you will need to complete a conversion diploma (Diploma in Law) or equivalent qualification. This is a one-year full-time or two-year part-time taught postgraduate programme. It costs £9,000 to £15,000.

Total cost (rough): Most people spend £20,000 to £55,000 to qualify, depending on the route and whether they study at a Russell Group university or a private provider. This includes the degree and both SQE components but does not include living costs or foregone wages.

Debt reality: Many solicitors qualify with £40,000 to £100,000 of debt from student loans. This is manageable on a solicitor's salary, which typically starts at £25,000 to £28,000 as a junior solicitor in a high street firm, or £40,000 to £50,000 in a larger city firm. London-based large firms offer up to £90,000 to £110,000 starting salaries for trainees (and sometimes cover SQE fees as part of the training contract).

Most people pay off student loans over 10 to 15 years via the repayment plan (9% of income above £27,750 per year). Some firms offer bursaries or sponsorship to help with course costs.

Timeline (3 to 5 years from degree to admission)

The typical timeline depends on whether you have a law degree and your work situation.

If you have a law degree and start work immediately after graduation:

Year 1 (degree completed): Sit SQE1 in March or September after graduation (3-6 months preparation if you studied law)
Years 1 and 2 (concurrent): Complete 2 years of qualifying work experience as an employed junior solicitor or trainee
Year 2 (20 months into work): Sit SQE2 (6-12 months preparation)
After SQE2 pass: Apply for admission to the Roll of Solicitors (2-4 weeks processing)

Total time: 2.5 to 3.5 years from degree to admission.

If you have a law degree but need to find a training role first:

Months 1-6: Apply for training contracts or work as a paralegal while preparing for SQE1
Sit SQE1 before starting work (6-12 months from degree)
Begin qualifying work experience
Sit SQE2 after 20 months of QWE
Apply for admission

Total time: 3 to 4 years from degree to admission.

If you do not have a law degree:

Year 1: Diploma in Law (conversion) if non-law graduate
Year 2: Prepare for SQE1 and apply for training contracts
Sit SQE1
Years 2-3: Complete 2 years of qualifying work experience
Sit SQE2
Apply for admission

Total time: 3.5 to 5 years from start of conversion diploma.

Many universities now offer accelerated programmes that combine the conversion diploma and SQE preparation into a single 18-month course. If you have strong academic credentials and the backing of an employer, you may be able to do the whole process faster.

What solicitors actually do once qualified

Once you are admitted to the Roll of Solicitors, you are a fully qualified solicitor with the same professional rights as every other solicitor in England and Wales.

The work varies widely depending on your practice area and employer:

Corporate solicitors advise large companies on mergers, acquisitions, company formation, share issues, banking law, and commercial contracts. They often work in large city firms and earn the highest salaries.

Litigation solicitors represent clients in court and out-of-court disputes. They manage cases from claim to trial, take witness statements, prepare evidence, and conduct negotiations. Contested matters are usually handed off to barristers who conduct the trial itself.

Property solicitors advise on house purchases and sales, mortgages, leases, commercial property transactions, and development deals. They handle most of the conveyancing work for high street firms.

Family solicitors advise on divorce, child arrangements, financial settlements, cohabitation disputes, and wills. They negotiate settlements and represent clients in court for contested matters (though serious cases go to barristers).

Criminal law solicitors represent clients accused of crimes, either as duty solicitors at the police station or via the public defender scheme. They manage criminal cases and advise on sentencing options.

Employment solicitors advise companies on employment law, contracts, dismissals, discrimination claims, and tribunal disputes.

Public law and administrative solicitors advise charities, local authorities, and public bodies on procurement, human rights, judicial review, and regulatory compliance.

Many solicitors move between practice areas or specialize further by completing additional qualifications (e.g. the Level 6 Diploma in Specialist Legal Practice).

Day to day (a junior solicitor's typical week)

Your first week as a newly admitted solicitor might look like this:

Monday morning: You are given a new file: a commercial contract negotiation. Your supervisor gives you a brief on the client's instructions and the other side's draft contract. You spend the morning reading the draft and flagging potential issues against your client's requirements.

Monday afternoon: You draft a list of your suggested amendments and email it to your supervisor for feedback. You attend a team meeting on a larger matter you are helping with.

Tuesday: You take a conference call with the client to explain your proposed amendments and get their approval. You then draft a revised contract incorporating the changes and send it to the other side's solicitor.

Wednesday: You attend a meeting with a property client who is buying a flat. You explain the conveyancing process, obtain their identification for anti-money laundering checks, and explain the costs and timescales. You then prepare the mortgage application and open the file on the case management system.

Thursday: You spend the morning on legal research for a litigated matter (your supervisor is preparing a witness statement and wants you to research the precedents on a particular point). You then spend the afternoon drafting the first section of a contract for a different client. You email it to your supervisor, who gives you comments, and you revise.

Friday: You attend a team meeting where people discuss progress on various matters. You review and amend two more contracts. You prepare an invoice for one client and chase another client for information you need to progress their file.

Most weeks are a mix of legal research, drafting, client meetings, and administrative work. As you become more experienced, you take on more client-facing work and less routine drafting. Senior solicitors spend much of their time on strategy, cost management, and business development. Partners spend significant time on business development and fee generation.

A lot of your week is spent chasing missing information, waiting for the other side to respond, and managing filing systems. The image of solicitors in court is not entirely accurate; many spend most of their careers outside court, negotiating and drafting. Some specialisms (litigation, family law, criminal law) involve court work; others rarely do.

Common misconceptions

Misconception 1: You must be a barrister to appear in court.

Not true. Qualified solicitors have the right to appear in most courts on most matters. Large cases may involve instructing a barrister for trial advocacy, but this is a choice based on cost and the advocate's availability, not a legal requirement.

Misconception 2: The SQE is much harder than the old LPC.

The SQE is different but not harder. The written papers are straightforward exams with a 60% pass mark. SQE2 is more demanding because it is scenario-based and requires judgment, but the pass mark is still 60%. Most people pass.

Misconception 3: You need a first-class degree to qualify.

Not required. You need a law degree or equivalent qualification (e.g. conversion diploma). There is no minimum classification required. Many solicitors qualified with 2:2 degrees and are excellent practitioners.

Misconception 4: Qualifying Work Experience must be at a law firm.

No. It can be anywhere that is an approved training provider, including corporate legal departments, charities, and local authorities. A growing number of in-house legal teams now take trainees.

Misconception 5: You must sit SQE1 before you start work.

No. The order is flexible. You can sit SQE1 before, during, or after your QWE. Most people sit it early (in their final year of university or immediately after graduation), but some sit it after starting work.

Misconception 6: Solicitors earn enormous amounts of money immediately after qualification.

Not always. A junior solicitor in a high street firm earns £25,000 to £28,000. In a larger regional firm, it is £30,000 to £35,000. In a London large firm, it is £40,000 to £50,000. Partners and senior associates earn significantly more, but this takes 5 to 10 years to achieve. The highest-earning solicitors (City partners) earn £200,000 and upwards, but that is a small minority.

Sources

Solicitors Regulation Authority: https://www.sra.org.uk
The Law Society of England and Wales: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk
UK Government Legal Education Guidance: https://www.gov.uk

Written by Peter Kolomiets, founder of CaseCalm. UK content reviewed 2026-05-28.

This page provides information about becoming a solicitor in the UK. It is not legal or career advice. If you are considering a career in law, speak with qualified careers advisors at your university or the Law Society.

Not legal advice. This page is for information only. For your situation, consult a qualified solicitor or Direct Access barrister. This page provides information about becoming a solicitor in the UK. It is not legal or career advice.