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Qualifying work experience (QWE)

Under the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), candidates need to complete at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) qualifying work experience (QWE).

08 Oct 2025

7 minutes read

Qualifying work experience

The completion of two years’ qualifying work experience (QWE) is one of the requirements candidates must fulfil to qualify as a solicitor under the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

QWE requirements

All candidates need to complete at least two years’ full-time (or equivalent) QWE that is grounded in legal work and the provision of legal services, developing some or all of the competencies set out in the statement of solicitor competence.

The SRA’s requirements allow a flexible approach to be taken to achieve this.

A solicitor or compliance officer for legal practice (COLP) will need to confirm the length and details of the experience.

They must confirm that:

an opportunity to develop these competencies was provided, and
no issues arose during the work experience regarding the candidate’s character and suitability to be admitted as a solicitor

QWE does not need to be completed in one block.

It can be accrued at a maximum of four separate organisations, including:

firms
legal clinics in academic institutions
law centres
other appropriate organisations

There is no minimum length of time for a placement, although candidates and firms will need to consider if the placement is of a long enough duration to have experienced any of the competencies required.

Candidates are also not limited to a single placement at each of the four organisations.

They may complete several placements of differing time periods at each organisation and add them together to reach the two years requirement.

Who determines whether something qualifies as QWE

Many firms and organisations – including in-house teams, law clinics and unregulated providers of legal services – will be able to offer work that qualifies as QWE.

The work undertaken will qualify as QWE so long as it’s grounded in legal work and providing legal services, giving a candidate the opportunity to develop some or all of the competencies set out in the statement of solicitor competence.

The aim of QWE is to provide a broad range of experience across the competencies.

Work undertaken should provide opportunities for candidates to experience the wider work of a solicitor and develop competencies in different areas.

The key consideration is if the solicitor or COLP confirming the QWE is content that the candidate has been given the opportunity to develop some or all of the competencies set out in the statement of solicitor competence.

Where a candidate is undertaking a role with a view to gaining QWE, the nature of the work and how it will enable the candidate to develop the competences should be agreed at the start of the period of QWE.

Purpose of QWE

The purpose of QWE is to give candidates the opportunity to:

develop some or all the competencies outlined in the statement of solicitor competence
experience the work of a solicitor
develop knowledge and skills in the areas of ethics and professional conduct which are a key part of being a member of the solicitors’ profession
gain some socialisation into the workplace
show future employers that they have gained a well-rounded and in-depth training experience, which has prepared them well for practice, and
prepare for the SQE2 assessments (for those who undertake QWE before taking the assessments)

There are preparation courses for the SQE2 assessments covering all the skills that will be examined.

However, there is no substitute for real experience for the development of skills.

If candidates can develop these skills during QWE, they may be in a position to take shorter, less expensive SQE2 preparation courses.

Ethics and professional conduct are also a key part of being a member of the solicitors’ profession, and these areas of knowledge and skill can be developed through QWE.

Candidates should consider carefully what they want to get out of their QWE and how they can best show a real commitment to the profession.

For example, if candidates wish to work in areas of legal practice that their academic studies may not have prepared them for (such as legal aid), then it will be important for them to gain exposure to this type of work during QWE.

Solicitor competencies

There are 18 competencies, across four key areas, which are set out in the statement of solicitor competence.

Best practice would be to get a broad range of experience across the four key areas wherever possible.

Candidates are not expected to develop all the competencies, but the more they’re able to develop, the better prepared they’ll be for the SQE 2 assessments and their future practice as a solicitor.

Consideration should also be given to the length of time needed to focus on each competency to fully develop an understanding of it.

Appropriate supervision and mentoring are a key part of this process. The solicitor confirming QWE should be able to ensure the candidate is directed to an appropriate range of tasks and experiences.

A candidate undertaking QWE before their SQE2 assessment is also likely to be better prepared for that assessment if they have had the opportunity to develop a broad range of competencies.

Structure of QWE

It’s up to the individual firm or organisation to determine how best to structure their QWE offering.

Some may only offer a short period, whereas others may offer the full two years required.

It is important for employers to:

keep accurate records of what a candidate has done
keep accurate records of which competencies have been developed, and
make sure this is properly confirmed at the end of each placement

Recording QWE

Employers and those managing volunteers should consider the best way for their candidates to record their QWE.

Candidates completing their QWE at more than one placement should consider how best to keep a record that can be accessed by more than one organisation.

The SRA has a template that can be used for record keeping.

It’s not compulsory to use this template and you are free to record the information in the way that best suits the candidate and employer.

You may find the SRA’s guidance on recording QWE useful if you wish to develop your own template.

Whichever way you keep a record, it must accurately record the competencies developed, and how they have been developed so a solicitor or COLP can confirm the QWE to the SRA.

The record should be used as the basis of regular discussions between the candidate and the solicitor confirming the QWE.

It should be used to ensure that both parties are clear on which competencies have been developed and that the evidence is adequate.

The record will not be required by the SRA: it is for internal use only.

However, it is good practice to keep clear and up-to-date records in case there are any issues with confirming a candidate’s QWE.

It should be considered good practice for employers to keep records of those employed – even on a temporary basis – and the role they have been employed in, in case a candidate approaches former employers to confirm QWE retrospectively.

All reasonable and proportionate efforts should be made to accommodate such requests.

A route to qualification for paralegals

The increased flexibility that QWE offers, compared with the training contract, means many paralegals (or those employed in similar roles) will find themselves able to use the work they are undertaking to count towards QWE.

This means that if they can pass the required SQE1 and 2 assessments, they will have a clear pathway to qualification as a solicitor.

Many firms and organisations will need to consider how to manage requests from paralegals or other staff (past and present) who may wish to have their work confirmed as QWE.

This includes organisations who do not currently offer training.

Find out more about QWE for paralegals.

How QWE is confirmed

QWE must be confirmed by a solicitor or COLP.

All firms should have a process in place, whether they run a formal training programme or not.

QWE is flexible and can be accrued by staff undertaking other roles in the business.

For each period of QWE, the solicitor or COLP has to confirm:

the details and timescale of the work experience
it provided the opportunity to develop some or all of the prescribed competences for solicitors
no issues arose during the work experience that raise questions over the candidate’s character and suitability to be admitted as a solicitor

If a candidate produces evidence of QWE undertaken that meets the above criteria, the solicitor or COLP must confirm the QWE.

The QWE does not need to be undertaken as part of a formal training process. The SRA template is available to aid this process.

The solicitor or COLP does not have to decide whether the individual has met the prescribed standard required for admission as a solicitor.

Competence at the appropriate standard is assessed through the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments.

The employer is only confirming the QWE undertaken with them. The employer of the last QWE period is not expected to confirm on behalf of other employers.

The solicitor or COLP does not need to hold a practising certificate or work for the same organisation as the candidate undertaking QWE, but must have:

reviewed the work of the candidate during the period of QWE, and
received feedback from the person or persons supervising the work (if not themselves)

The SRA has indicated it may take disciplinary action against a solicitor or COLP if they refuse to confirm QWE that meets the criteria or where they have breached the Principles, Code of Conduct or rules.

Find out what other information is required to confirm QWE.

Discover how to register your QWE confirmation with the SRA.

What to do if your QWE is not confirmed

If you cannot reach an agreement with your employer as to whether the work you’re doing (or have previously done) meets the requirements for QWE, there are steps you can take to resolve this issue.

It’s useful to set out a record of the QWE you believe you have completed, showing what you have done and the competencies this addresses.

You should then ask the solicitor you want to confirm your QWE to review this alongside the SRA’s guidance on confirming QWE.

It may be useful to do so through a face-to-face meeting, if possible, or you may prefer to seek written confirmation through email if more suitable.

At this meeting, you may wish to ask someone with direct experience of your work to support your claim to QWE.

If confirmation is still not possible, you should seek to understand in as much detail as possible why this is the case, so you can seek to address any reasonable additional requirements.

The SRA has made clear it will only become involved if it’s satisfied that all other avenues have been explored.

However, if you can show you have followed its guidance to seek resolution and been unsuccessful, you should contact the SRA’s professional ethics team.

Registering confirmed QWE with the SRA

When you’ve completed your QWE, you’ll need to create a mySRA account.

Once you’ve logged in, you can start a new application and notify the SRA of your QWE.

The SRA is aiming to confirm registration of a candidate’s QWE within 30 days.

Flexibility of QWE

Since QWE can be done at up to four separate organisations, with no minimum length of time for a placement, this is considerably more flexible than the period of recognised training (training contract).

Some firms and organisations who did not feel able to offer the necessary breadth of experience for a period of recognised training, are embracing this change by offering shorter periods of QWE.

This enables candidates to follow a portfolio approach where they can build up a total of two years’ QWE through different placements, giving them experience across a wider number of areas.

Part-time QWE

There is also the opportunity for more part-time QWE.

For example, legal clinics offering part-time placements to students can determine how much this equates to as a full-time equivalent, and can then confirm this as part of a candidate’s QWE.

This approach from firms and organisations would have a benefit in terms of equality and diversity.

It allows candidates to gain valuable and necessary experience whilst balancing other things in their lives, such as caring commitments.

Many firms operate hybrid working models, combining remote working with time spent in the office.

This makes work experience placements more accessible to individuals who may have been unable to consider a full-time, in-person training place.

Read our guide on remote supervision to explore this in more detail.

QWE in a foreign jurisdiction

QWE can take place anywhere in the world, so long as it meets the SRA’s requirements and is confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales.

Since QWE does not need to be completed in one block, it may be that some or all of a candidate’s QWE could take place in a foreign jurisdiction.

Read our guide for international lawyers and overseas students.

Lawyers qualified abroad

Fully qualified foreign lawyers are exempt from the QWE requirement.

Find out more in our guide to qualifying from abroad to work in the UK.

Recommended minimum salary

As a matter of good practice, we recommend that providers of training contracts and QWE should pay their employees a fair salary updated in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) 12-month rolling inflation rate.

Our recommended minimum salary sets out: