How to approach QWE?
Guest written by Law with Sophie

For the facts on QWE, and how to capture and confirm it, take a look at the College’s QWE hub.

In this blog, we explore how to approach QWE and what to think about when looking for work experience.

What constitutes QWE?

QWE must be gained in legal roles which allow the candidate to develop some of the solicitor competencies set out by the SRA. Some examples of roles that would constitute QWE are:

• A placement during a law degree
• Law clinic voluntary work
• Paralegal work
• A traditional training contract

Some other facts about QWE are:

• QWE can be gained in up to four organisations
• There is no minimum or maximum prescribed length for each placement
• QWE can be banked from either paid or volunteering roles
• Interestingly, QWE can be gained overseas anywhere in the world, and your work does not need to cover the law of England & Wales
• The SRA does not require you to undertake any contentious work as part of your QWE.

Process/procedure of QWE

A qualified solicitor or SRA regulated compliance officer must sign off on your QWE. If there isn’t a qualified solicitor/compliance officer within the organisation, then an external solicitor can sign off on your QWE after reviewing it alongside feedback from your supervisors. They do need to enough about your work experience, though, to confirm that it covers some of the solicitors competences.

The SRA provides a template QWE record which you can use (and the organisations you undertake your QWE at may well have their own versions – similar to the training contract development records that some firms currently have).

Timing considerations

One of the novel features of qualifying via the SQE route compared to the traditional training contract route is that QWE can be gained before, during or after taking your SQE exams – so the timing is much more flexible.

Past work experience you've already gained can be claimed retrospectively towards your QWE, and there is no limit on how far back you can claim this – so if you're yet to obtain a training contract, but have legal work experience, this could be a great option for you.

You could also undertake your QWE alongside your studies.

(One caveat to this timing point is that SQE2 does focus on practical legal skills, so if you can undertake a substantial amount of your QWE before taking SQE2, that will really help you for the assessment.)

QWE and employability

Although QWE offers much greater flexibility in terms of the work that can be undertaken, you should still think carefully about the placements you undertake to ensure that your QWE broadly aligns with the type of qualified solicitor role you would like.

For example, if all of your QWE is unpaid legal clinic work, and you choose to apply for - say - an NQ position in the Corporate team of a large commercial firm, your QWE might not make you suitable for this role.

A breadth of quality QWE in a fewer number of organisations, could well be more attractive to the majority of employers.

Remember your QWE isn’t just about qualification, it is about getting you valuable experience and gaining skills to secure that NQ position.

For more information on the facts on QWE, and how to capture and confirm it, take a look at the College’s QWE hub.

This blog is guest written by Law with Sophie, it is part of a six-part series on Becoming a Solicitor, helping you consider whether it is the right career move for you.

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Last updated July 2022