With support from her firm Wilson Browne Solicitors along with a great deal of hard work and determination, Catherine Healy was able to successfully qualify as a Solicitor of England and Wales in July of 2024, becoming the first Wilson Browne learner to qualify via the SQE route.
Catherine graduated from university in 2021, just before the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route was introduced. Although the route was still new, Catherine was informed of the SQE route by her university and decided to do some further independent research.
The SQE route offers more flexibility than the Legal Practice Course (LPC) route and soon became an exciting new option for individuals wishing to qualify as a Solicitor of England and Wales. With training contracts becoming more difficult to secure, the SQE became even more inviting thanks to scrapping the training contract requirement and instead introducing Qualifying Work Experience (QWE).
For Catherine, the SQE route seemed like the ideal pathway for her, and thanks to the support and financial sponsorship from her employer, Wilson Browne Solicitors, she was able to start her SQE preparation with Law Training Centre.
One of the significant advantages Catherine found when studying with Law Training Centre was the flexibility that the SQE route offered. This meant that she could work online and at her own pace while ticking off the requirement of obtaining two years of QWE alongside studying for her SQE2 exams.
“I think the volume of content sets Law Training Centre aside from other training providers. In addition to the primary module content, there is also weekly live workshop sessions on different subject areas, as well as lots of practice questions on each topic and additional tasks that you can submit for grading and feedback.”
Catherine found that the one-to-one tutor support provided was particularly useful to her, highlighting the accommodating nature of the tutors offering mock assessment slots in the evening to fit around her busy lifestyle. Furthermore, she found the tutor support for the mock advocacy and interviewing exams was significantly beneficial because the content and layout was so similar to the real assessments.
When asked about the support she received during her studies, Catherine was keen to point out the difference her tutors made to her success: “I found the tutor support at Law Training Centre for the client interviewing and advocacy assessments really beneficial. These mock assessments were conducted in exactly the same way as the exams, including the amount of time that you had to read the brief/prepare notes. The tutors also provide you with verbal feedback immediately following the assessment, followed by more detailed written feedback with suggestions for improvement and a grade based on the SQE2 marking criteria.”
Having completed her SQE2 preparation with Law Training Centre, Catherine qualified as a Solicitor of England and Wales in July 2024. She continues to work with her sponsoring firm, Wilson Browne Solicitors, as a Solicitor within the Corporate and Commercial team. She deals with a broad range of work in both the corporate and commercial sector, including M&A transactional work, company restructures including both management buy-ins and buy-outs and commercial contract matters, including franchise agreements and intellectual property matters.
It is no secret that studying the SQE is challenging due to the volume of content you need to learn and the difficulty of applying that knowledge correctly to detailed and complex scenarios. Catherine explained that one of her main tips when it comes to studying for the SQE1 is that it’s important to cover enough multiple choice questions (MCQ) practice, in addition to really drilling down into the content. She also recommends taking time away from exam simulations and focusing on understanding the underlying topic in as much depth as possible if you find that you are consistently losing marks in one subject area.
Catherine found that studying the SQE1 first was really important when it came to studying the SQE2 successfully. The SQE2 exams are skills based, focusing on topics like client interview skills, legal research and case and matter analysis. This is where an SQE1 prep course comes in handy as it is highly recommended to have an understanding of the underlying FLK knowledge to be able to complete the tasks correctly and gain enough marks on the legal knowledge section of the assessment criteria.
For those considering starting their SQE journey, Catherine’s main advice is to manage your studies by staying in a consistent routine. For example, by revising in the morning and having a clear routine and timeslot to revise before work helped to cover the content that she needed to and stay on track. She also highlighted the importance of taking time off, even if it’s just an afternoon to do something you enjoy as you tend to come back feeling more productive.
“Consistency is better than perfection. It’s easy to fall into a habit of thinking that a good study session is hours long. Consistent effort (even in small doses) is really important.”
