The introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) provides aspiring solicitors with greater flexibility when it comes to acquiring their two years’ qualifying work experience (QWE).
The new regime enables those seeking to enter the profession to independently bank periods of QWE with up to four organisations. This can include paralegal work or time spent with an in-house legal team, as well as other placements undertaken before, during and after the SQE exams, diversifying the pathways to qualify as a solicitor.
This is in addition to the more formalised routes into the profession including training contracts and apprenticeships, which remain attractive options for would-be solicitors.
Join us on the afternoon of Wednesday 25 October, from 4pm to 5pm, for a virtual student event where a panel of speakers will reflect on their diverse journeys to qualification through the SQE.
Joining the panel will be a careers expert from BARBRI who will look at what qualifies as QWE and what doesn’t, the various ways to acquire it, and how aspiring lawyers can take advantage of the new system.
The speakers
• Pedro Leake-Bandeira, BARBRI SQE student and trainee solicitor at Accutrainee
• Paulomi Thakker, BARBRI SQE student and FlexTrainee at Flex Legal
• Seema Gill, BARBRI SQE alumnus and qualified solicitor at Howell Jones Solicitors
• Damon Neale, BARBRI SQE student and coordinator at The Law Corner, a pro bono clinic in London
• Ellen Swarbrick, BARBRI SQE student and trainee solicitor at Vinson & Elkins
• Robert Dudley, head of employability and engagement at BARBRI
After the panel discussion BARBRI’s SQE team will be on hand for one hour of virtual networking.
Apply to attend above.
