How to Become a Solicitor

The UK is the second largest legal services market in the world and the opportunities for aspiring lawyers are immense.

Solicitors are one of the two main types of lawyer in the legal system in England and Wales. But how do you become a solicitor? In this guide we’ll explore the qualification process for solicitors – both with and without a degree. You’ll learn what qualifications you need to become a solicitor, how long it takes, and even how much it costs to qualify.

How to Qualify as a Solicitor

There are several routes to becoming a solicitor. The end result is the same – you’ll be a qualified solicitor with all that that entails, but the paths themselves are significantly different. If you want to become a solicitor, you should think carefully about which would suit you best.

Nonetheless, there are similarities between the pathways: all solicitors have to have passed the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), have completed relevant work experience, and have their character checked by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Here’s an overview of the routes:

	Degree	Level 7 Apprenticeship	Graduate Apprenticeship	International Lawyer
Step 1	Undergraduate degree (Law not compulsory)	Solicitor Apprenticeship	Undergraduate degree (Law not compulsory)	Solicitors Qualifying Examination
Step 2	Solicitors Qualifying Examination	Solicitors Qualifying Examination	Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship	Character checks
Step 3	Qualifying Work Experience	Character checks	Solicitors Qualifying Examination
Step 4	Character checks		Character checks

This summary is a good starting point if you want to know how to become a solicitor, but there’s a lot of nuance within each of these pathways. So let’s break them down in more detail, starting with the most common.

Degree Route

The degree route is probably the most common way to become a solicitor. It takes about 5-6 years in total.

Step 1: Degree

The degree route starts with…a degree! Students following this path start by completing an undergraduate degree – note that this can be in Law (LLB) or in anything else.

Once you’re qualified or applying for training contracts, employers might prefer candidates who have a degree in Law, or – if you did a different degree – those who have completed a conversion course (the GDL or PGDL, or Graduate / Postgraduate Diploma in Law). But since the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) reformed the qualification process for solicitors in 2021, there is no strict requirement for you to have done so in order to qualify.

Step 2: SQE

After your degree, the next step is to take the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). This consists of two sets of exams:

• SQE1, which tests your legal knowledge through two 180-question multiple-choice exams
• SQE2, a single assessment which tests your practical legal skills across 15-18 exercises

You have to pass SQE1 before you can take SQE2. The SRA envisages that most students will take SQE1 after a Law degree, conversion course, or other prep course. This is another reason why taking a Law degree remains a good idea even though it’s not compulsory, as it is very challenging to pass SQE1 without the kind of high-level legal knowledge that a Law degree affords.

In turn, the SRA expect most students to sit SQE2 after completing their two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE).

Note that you can take SQE1 and SQE2 whenever you like (as long as you have a degree and take them in the right order) – these are just recommendations from the SRA.

Step 3: QWE

QWE is another compulsory part of the process for becoming a solicitor. You must complete two years of legal work experience. These must be completed within a six-year period and across no more than four placements.

Many budding solicitors will complete their QWE as part of a two-year training contract at a law firm. Once you’ve completed the training contract and passed your SQE exams, you’ll be a qualified solicitor. Unsurprisingly, training contracts are highly competitive – and not just at magic circle law firms, but at smaller and regional firms, too.

The other option is to complete your work experience through a portfolio method – for instance, spending a year as a paralegal, then six months working in a law clinic, and six months volunteering in a legal capacity at a charity. You can learn more about what counts as QWE on the SRA website.

Step 4: Character and Suitability Checks

The final stage is to pass the SRA’s Character and Suitability requirements. If you want to become a solicitor, you can’t have a criminal record, serious financial problems, or a track record of dishonesty,

Once you’ve passed these checks, you will have finally qualified as a solicitor!

Solicitor Apprenticeship Route

Solicitor apprenticeships are increasingly popular. One major advantage is no student debt – in fact, you’ll get paid at least the minimum wage as you work towards qualifying as a solicitor.

Apprentice solicitors also have a higher pass rate for the SQE than those who have taken the degree route (97% vs 75%).

And finally, you’ll be working alongside solicitors and other legal professionals from the age of 18, gaining valuable practical experience.

Level 7 Apprenticeship

A solicitor apprenticeship is a level 7 qualification (equivalent to a Master’s level). It usually takes 5-6 years to complete and is open to anyone aged 18 or over.

The recommended entry requirements for apprenticeships are:

• 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including Maths and English
• 3 A Levels (or equivalent) at grade C or above
• And/or one or more relevant work experiences or lower-level apprenticeships

Each employer will have their own application requirements, however.

An apprenticeship covers the QWE requirements, so you won’t need to do any extra work experience. And finally, you will take the SQE at the end of your apprenticeship – you can read more about that above. Unlike those following the degree route, apprentices will have the cost of taking the SQE exams paid for by the government.

Once you pass your apprenticeship, SQE1 and SQE2, and the SRA’s character checks, you will become a solicitor.

Graduate Apprenticeship

Graduate apprenticeships are for people who already have an undergraduate degree – in Law or anything else. They usually last 2-3 years. As with the Level 7 apprenticeship, this covers the QWE requirements and you’ll take your SQE exams at the end of your apprenticeship.

Applying for a Solicitor Apprenticeship

More and more people who want to become a solicitor are cottoning on to the value and advantages of the apprenticeship route. This means that applications are becoming increasingly competitive – just as difficult as getting into a top university for law or getting a training contract, in some cases.

Applying for an apprenticeship is very similar to applying for a job. Law firms advertise vacant positions. Most apprenticeships start in September, and some employers will advertise positions as early as November in the year before.

The application process might involve:

• Submitting an online application / CV and cover letter
• Online test
• Interview
• Assessment day

Many law firms take on apprentices, as do some in-house legal teams. Before you start firing off applications, you should think carefully about the areas of the law you’re interested in. Do lots of research and speak to legal professionals if you can. Hopefully your prior legal work experience will have given you an idea of what you like. Then target your applications to those firms that specialise in your areas of interest.

International Lawyer Route

The final route to becoming a solicitor in the UK is if you’re already qualified as a lawyer in another country and have two years’ work experience. In that case, you only need to take the SQE to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. There is no additional QWE requirement as this is covered by your experience in your home country.

CILEX

If you want to become a lawyer, another non-degree option is to follow the CILEX route. CILEX lawyers are a third type of lawyer in England and Wales (in addition to solicitors and barristers). They do very similar work to solicitors, so if you’re interested in becoming a solicitor and don’t have a degree, this could be another option to consider.

We have a dedicated guide to CILEX qualifications if you want to learn more.

What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Solicitor?

Since the SRA reformed the process for becoming a solicitor in 2021, all aspiring solicitors need:

• To pass the SQE exams (SQE1 and SQE2)
• Two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)
• To pass the Character and Suitability checks

Before you can take the SQE, you will need to complete an undergraduate degree (not necessarily in Law) or a level 7 solicitor apprenticeship. Apprenticeships also cover the QWE requirements. Qualified lawyers from other countries can become a solicitor in the UK by passing the SQE and character checks, provided you have two years of experience as a lawyer already.

You will also most likely need GCSEs and A Levels (or equivalent) to follow any of these routes – learn more about the GCSEs needed to be a lawyer and A Levels needed for Law in our dedicated guides.

Skills Needed to Become a Solicitor

We’ve discussed the qualification process for becoming a solicitor in a lot of detail. But to qualify in the first place, and then to have a successful career, you’ll need the right skills and attitudes, too.

These include:

Determination and motivation

It takes six years or more to qualify, and you’ll need to be committed. In addition, being a solicitor can be a demanding role, with long hours and hard work often required.

Intellectual ability

The law is a highly complicated thing! The legal system in England and Wales dates back more than a thousand years and there are vast swathes of nuanced information, precedents, and arguments to get your head around.

Communication

You’ll need outstanding written and verbal communication skills to succeed as a solicitor. Whether you’re writing briefs for a barrister or advising a client who has no understanding of how the law works, you’ll need to make yourself understood by a very wide range of stakeholders.

Flexibility

No two days as a solicitor are the same. Even if you end up specialising in a niche and narrow area of the law, you’re likely to have to apply that knowledge in different ways and contexts on a day-to-day basis.

Personal integrity

The SRA’s character requirements aren’t just a box-ticking exercise. Lawyers need to take an ethical approach to highly sensitive and sometimes controversial issues – while still keeping an eye on the commercial interests of their firm. That’s a difficult balance to strike and it requires serious thought and care.

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