Consultation on new solicitors’ ‘super exam’ closes amid criticism from legal educators
updated on 13 January 2017
The consultation on proposals for a new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) has closed with students, educators and employers now waiting for a final decision and further detail from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), but the plans remain controversial.
The chief executive of the University of Law, Professor Andrea Nollent, has suggested that the SQE may not ensure that prospective trainee solicitors have sufficient legal knowledge, which may necessitate the introduction of ‘gap filler’ courses. As reported by Legal Cheek, Nollent has also stated her belief that the SQE will not achieve its (desirable) aim of widening access to careers in the legal profession.
Details about the proposed SQE remain sketchy. We still do not know, for example, how arrangements would work for non-law graduates converting to law. It is also worth pointing out that law schools teaching the Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course have a vested interest in protecting these expensive courses. However, this does not necessarily mean that vocal criticism of the proposals is without merit – we await the release of further information and a decision by the SRA, so stay tuned to LCN as we learn more.
Nollent summed up her argument by saying: “The SQE will be too superficial in stage one and too narrow and restricted in stage two to properly assess the competence needed for trainee or qualified solicitors to safely act for the public. In particular, the loss of elective subjects means that the level of understanding of key practice areas will inevitably be lower under the SQE regime than the current one. Firms will find their trainees will not have the subject knowledge of the area they are working on, nor the same level of skills in applying knowledge to practice areas that current trainees have. We anticipate that many law firms will require additional courses to be undertaken before the period of work-based learning commences to make up for the competence gap. These courses will add to the cost of training, and potentially end up costing students more than the current LPC.”
