Qualifying work experience
updated on 03 March 2023
Qualifying work experience (QWE) is one of the four requirements needed to qualify as a solicitor via the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).
All candidates qualifying via the SQE must complete two years’ full-time or equivalent QWE, which can be undertaken before, during and/or after completing SQE1 and SQE2. QWE gives candidates the chance to experience real legal work and the opportunity to develop some or all of the competencies required to be a solicitor.
“We offer four weeks guaranteed QWE to our LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) and MA Law (SQE1) students, to help them begin building up the practical experience they’ll need for life as a solicitor – and the feedback we've had from students has been fantastic. Our Legal Advice Clinics have covered many key areas of focus for trainee solicitors, including immigration and asylum to social security and matrimonial legal disputes. The flexible nature of QWE, and the ability to split this into four placements has been instrumental in allowing The University of Law to support students in this way.” Jim Moser, director of professional development at The University of Law
Find some additional guidance on QWE, its requirements and what it means for you via the links below.
- ‘What is QWE?’
- ‘What counts as QWE?’
- ‘How do I get my QWE accredited?’
- ‘SQE qualifying work experience FAQs’
- ‘What’s the SQE and QWE all about?’
- 'What's the difference between training contracts and qualifying work experience?'
- 'How will the SQE impact training contracts?'
