If you’re studying the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) you’ll know that Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) is a huge part of qualifying as a solicitor. As a flexible route to qualification, the QWE requirements are designed to allow for a wider range of opportunities to gain experience. However, the signing off/confirmation aspect can still be confusing.
So, if you’re wondering ‘how can I get my QWE signed off?’, you’ve come to the right place!
How does the confirmation process work?
Aspiring solicitors looking to confirm their QWE need to register the full two years of QWE by the time they apply for admission as a solicitor. This can be done at any time before admission, but a separate application will be required for each organisation where QWE was undertaken.
When this is submitted, a notification will be sent to the individual you have nominated to confirm your QWE. This can be any one of the following:
- A Solicitor of England and Wales at the same organisation
- A Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) at the same organisation
- A solicitor outside of the organisation with direct experience of your work
This solicitor or COLP will then have to confirm: the length of the work experience, that the QWE was providing legal services and that you had the opportunity to develop some or all of the competencies for solicitors, and that no issues arose during the QWE that raises questions over your character or suitability. This confirmation is therefore simply to approve that you have completed the QWE – the solicitor/COLP is not giving a judgment on your competency.
How can I get my QWE confirmed by a solicitor outside of my organisation?
Many aspiring solicitors may find it difficult to get their QWE confirmed due to a whole host of reasons; solicitors are often nervous to sign off QWE as they are not educated on the process, or learners might have QWE spread out over a range of placements over a number of years which makes it difficult to collate. However, this doesn’t have to stop you from qualifying!
Aspiring solicitors can instead use our partner Access Law Clinic’s QWE Review and Confirm Service to get their QWE confirmed without the hassle of tracking down previous employers and trying to get unwilling solicitors to confirm.
“I worked as a paralegal in three different workplaces and needed these to count towards my QWE. Two of them refused to confirm my experience because they didn’t understand what they were confirming and were generally unfamiliar with the process. After trying to discuss this with my Supervising Solicitors from both jobs, I reached out to Access Law Clinic asking for help. I filled out an application form and they took it from there! The whole process was so easy. Suellen kept me updated throughout which I was grateful for, and I’ve now finally got my QWE! I would definitely recommend Access Law Clinic if you need help getting your QWE confirmed.” – Oktawia Kucharzyk, SQE learner
Through Access Law Clinic’s service, their qualified solicitors will review your placement for the relevant time period of QWE applied for against the competencies required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and decide whether the placement meets the requirements.
If you are interested in getting your QWE confirmed via Access Law Clinic’s service, please contact [email protected] to book a complimentary online consultation.
