How to qualify as a solicitor in Ireland

Are you looking to qualify as a solicitor in Ireland? This Feature guides you through each step of the qualification process – from exams to in-office experience and final admission to the Roll of Solicitors.

The FE-1 Exams – the start of your legal journey in Ireland

The Final Examination – First Part (FE-1) is the first step to becoming a solicitor if you hold a level 7 degree from an Irish or UK-based university or college.  

The exam, which can be completed in-person or online, is usually held twice a year in spring and autumn, and consists of eight papers:

• company law;
• constitutional law;
• the law of contract;
• criminal law;
• equity;
• the law of the European Union;
• the law of property; and
• the law of torts.

To sit the FE-1, you must hold a degree (law or non-law) from Ireland or the UK. You’re also eligible if you’re a qualified accountant!

There are several preparation courses available through providers such as City Colleges, Griffith College and Independent College Dublin. The preparation courses offer flexible formats and comprehensive support to help law and non-law candidates succeed.

All three providers allow students to purchase preparation courses individually by subject or as a bulk package:

• Independent College Dublin charges €350 per subject or €2,240 for all eight subjects.
• City Colleges charges €350 per subject or €2,300 for all eight subjects.
• Griffith College charges €275 per subject and €100 per workshop.

Students receive workshops, lectures and educational materials as part of their packages. City Colleges and Independent College Dublin offer their courses online and in person, while Griffith College’s course is 100% online.

Some students might opt to take 14-week courses in all eight subjects at once, while some may focus on less depending on time restrictions. Students don’t need to take all eight subject exams in the same sitting. From passing the first exam, you have seven years to pass all eight. Each exam costs €125.

What if I don’t have a level 7 degree?

If you don’t hold a level 7 degree, or if your degree is from outside of Ireland or the UK, you’ll need to apply for a preliminary examination or exemption. Preliminary exams take place every March, applications for the 2026 sitting open in November 2025. To apply, you must provide a completed application form and a photo ID. The cost to take the preliminary exam is €470.

The exam consists of three papers: English, Irish government and politics, and general knowledge. The pass mark is 50% and you must pass all three papers in one sitting. You’re only allowed a maximum of three attempts.

If you have legal experience, you may be exempt from the preliminary exam. Law clerks and legal executives with at least five years of experience can apply for an exemption and progress straight to the FE-1.

Securing a training contract

Once you’ve passed the FE-1, the next step is to secure a two-year training contract under an eligible training solicitor. This contract must be registered and approved by the Law Society of Ireland before you can begin the next qualification stage: the Professional Practice Course (PPC).

So, what’s a training solicitor? To be approved by the Law Society of Ireland as an eligible training solicitor, a solicitor must have at least four years of continuous full-time practice and be engaged in legal services as a sole practitioner, partner, in-house solicitor or in the full-time service of the State. A training solicitor must be able to provide trainees with legal experience in three distinct practice areas, covering both contentious and non-contentious work. Alternatively, the training solicitor can arrange for trainees to be seconded to other offices to meet the three practice area threshold.

The Law Society of Ireland offers advice on finding a training solicitor in a seminar, which students can request access to via email.

The Professional Practice Course

The full-time PPC is delivered in person as a single, integrated programme across three semesters:

• Semester one (September to December): core legal training
• Semester two (January to April): continued core curriculum and assessments
• Semester three (May to June): advanced electives

Students can alternatively study part time over 12 months from December. The part-time course is delivered via online recordings, approximately 12 onsite face-to-face tuition weekends (held on Fridays and Saturdays, and also approximately nine live online weekends (held on Fridays and Saturdays). Applications open for the PPC twice a year – once for each style of course.

The course combines lectures, tutorials, workshops, team-based exercises and exams to build legal knowledge and practical skills. The fee for the core PPC is €11,850, alongside an application fee of €970. The course fees can be covered by the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant for full-time students. More on this below!

Funding your studies

Between FE-1 prep course costs, exam fees, PPC tuition and admission costs, qualifying as a solicitor in Ireland can cost upwards of €15,000. Plus, if you don’t hold a level 7 degree, there are also the preliminary exam fees to consider.

As mentioned above, PPC course fees for full-time students can be covered by the SUSI grant, which is the main financial support scheme for Irish students. To qualify you need:

• to be an Irish, EU, EEA, UK or Swiss national or hold a specific immigration status;
• to have been a resident in the Irish State, the EU, EEA, UK or Swiss Federation for three of the last five years;
• your total household income to fall below income thresholds.

However, if you hold a master’s degree at level 9, you aren’t eligible, unless your master’s degree is in law. If you’re a part-time student, you may not be eligible. However, some part-time students qualify for a fee contribution grant under the part-time fee scheme. In 2025, applications for SUSI grants opened on 6 March 2025. They then closed on 5 June 2025 for renewal grant applications and 10 July for new grant applications. Students can find out more about how to apply via the SUSI website.

The Law Society of Ireland also offers a scholarship for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. This scholarship can provide access to core texts, maintenance funding and can reduce or waive FE-1 fees for up to four sittings, with a maximum of eight papers per sitting. The scholarship can also provide reduced or waived PPC fees. The 2025 scholarship application deadline was 16 May 2025.

Students can also apply for the Law Society Bursary for the PPC, which can be used as a maintenance grant but not for course fees. Students can apply shortly after beginning their PPC course. Similarly, the Dublin Bar Association has a bursary scheme for those qualifying in the Dublin area. This assists students with FE-1 fees, law school fees and living expenses.

The Law Society of Ireland also has a small practice trainee grant, which provides five €25,000 grants to law firms located outside of urban districts in Cork, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon and Wicklow. This was created to support regional law firms with five or fewer solicitors. Funding breaks down into €18,000 to the training firm and €7,000 to the trainee, which goes towards the PPC fee.

Training contract

The required two-year period of in-office training begins 14 days after you complete your final semester two PPC exam. For example, PPC 2024 trainees completed their final semester two PPC exam on 17 April 2025 and began in-office training on 1 May 2025. During your training contract, you’ll gain hands-on legal experience under the supervision of your training solicitor.

However, it’s not all practical as you still have one final semester of the PPC to complete! Semester three covers advanced electives and typically takes place between May and June, shortly after your in-office training begins. This is the only formal academic component that overlaps with your training contract.

Some aspiring lawyers may have the option to cut down their two-year training contract. Much like in England and Wales, where you can build up qualifying work experience in different legal settings, you may be eligible for up to four months credit towards your training contract if you’ve already worked in a legal setting – for example, a solicitor’s office or the Courts Service.

Admission to the Roll of Solicitors

Once you’ve completed the PPC and your full in-office training period, you can apply for admission to the Roll of Solicitors. To do this you must:

• fill in an application form, which includes a statutory declaration signed by your training solicitor; and
• pay a fee of €370 to the Law Society of Ireland.

At this point, you can apply for a practising certificate and begin working as a solicitor in Ireland!

Ellie Nicholl (she/her) is a senior content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net