What is qualifying work experience (QWE)?

What is qualifying work experience?

Qualifying work experience (QWE) is two years’ full-time, or equivalent, experience of providing legal services, gained in no more than four organisations and confirmed by a solicitor or a compliance officer for legal practice (COLP). Everyone qualifying through the SQE route needs it. (SRA, qualifying work experience)

QWE gives aspiring solicitors experience of real legal work and the chance to develop some or all of the competences a solicitor needs. Competence itself is tested by the SQE assessments, not by the person who confirms your QWE. (SRA, qualifying work experience)

What counts as QWE?

QWE must involve providing legal services. The SRA points to the definition of legal activity in section 12 of the Legal Services Act 2007. A role in a law firm or legal team that does not meet that definition is unlikely to count, and simulated legal services do not count at all: it must be real-life experience. (SRA, qualifying work experience)

QWE can be paid or voluntary, and the SRA gives these examples:

• a placement during a law degree;
• work in a law clinic;
• work at a voluntary or charitable organisation or a law centre;
• work as a paralegal;
• a training contract.

It can be gained in England and Wales or overseas, and it does not have to involve the law of England and Wales – you need that knowledge for the SQE, but not from your work experience. (SRA, qualifying work experience)

A quick self-check

The SRA does not advise individuals on whether their experience is QWE. Instead it suggests these questions; if the answer to all of them is yes, the experience is likely to count (SRA, qualifying work experience):

1. Does or did the role involve providing legal services?
2. Was it real legal work rather than simulated?
3. Were you exposed to at least two competences in the Statement of Solicitor Competence?
4. Was it carried out in no more than four organisations?
5. Will it add up to at least two years’ full-time or equivalent?
6. Has it been, or will it be, confirmed by a solicitor or COLP?

The SRA does not define “full time”; it expects employers to take a common-sense view. (SRA, qualifying work experience)

How many competences do you need?

At least two. The SRA gives the example of B1 (obtain relevant facts) and B3 (develop and advise on relevant options, strategies and solutions), and does not prescribe which. A role involving only a single competence does not count, even if it provides legal services. A wider range is better preparation, because the SQE assesses the full range of competences. (SRA, qualifying work experience)

Who can confirm QWE?

• Who: a solicitor of England and Wales or a COLP. They do not need a practising certificate, and they do not have to work for the same organisation, provided they have reviewed your work for the period and received feedback from the people who supervised you. A barrister, or a lawyer qualified elsewhere, cannot confirm QWE unless they are also a solicitor or a COLP regulated by the SRA. (SRA, qualifying work experience)
• What: the length of the experience; that it involved providing legal services with the opportunity to develop at least two competences; and that no issues arose that call your character and suitability into question. (SRA, qualifying work experience)
• What not: the confirming solicitor does not judge your competence, the quality of your training or the standard of your work. (SRA, qualifying work experience)
• How: through mySRA. The solicitor receives an email, logs in and approves the period; you are told whether it has been approved or rejected. (SRA, SQE Q&A) Confirmation must be obtained from each organisation. (SRA, SQE Q&A)

Can past experience count?

Yes. QWE can be claimed retrospectively for a past job, placement or volunteer role, with no limit on how far back, as long as it meets the requirements. You would need to ask your former employer who could confirm it; where no records exist, confirmation may not be possible. (SRA, qualifying work experience)

When do you need to complete QWE?

You can gain QWE before, during or after the SQE assessments, and you only need to register your two years by the time you apply for admission. (SRA, qualifying work experience) So you can study for SQE1 while you work. If you do, a method that fits into short daily sessions matters – see how to revise for SQE1 with spaced repetition.

Who does not need QWE?

• Qualified lawyers. Lawyers who are already qualified do not need two years’ QWE. (SRA, qualified lawyers) See SQE for lawyers qualified outside England and Wales.
• Solicitor apprentices who complete the apprenticeship have met the QWE requirement. (SRA, SQE Q&A)

LPC graduates are a special case: they can use QWE together with a pass in SQE2 instead of a training contract, under the transitional rules. (SRA, QWE and SQE2 instead of a training contract) Our guide SQE vs LPC explains who qualifies.

QWE and SQE1: how they fit together

QWE and SQE1 test different things. QWE is about real legal work; SQE1 tests whether you can apply functioning legal knowledge across all FLK subjects, closed book. (SRA, SQE1 Assessment Specification) Your work may cover one practice area in depth, while SQE1 samples all of them – so plan revision for the subjects your job does not touch. Check the 2027 sitting dates, try the free quick test to find your gaps, or see our SQE1 course.

High Performer Certs is an independent study platform. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and it is not authorised or accredited by the SRA or the SQE assessment provider. The SQE and SOLICITORS QUALIFYING EXAMINATION trade marks are the property of and are used under licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.