Should I do the LPC or SQE?
The SQE launches in September 2021, giving future law students a choice of routes. Here’s how to decide if the LPC or SQE is better suited for you.
For decades, the Legal Practice Course (LPC) has been the route to become a qualified solicitor in England and Wales. Students were required to graduate with a qualifying law degree (LLB) or have undertaken a law conversion course such as the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL), before undertaking the LPC.
Students who wish to qualify as solicitors and started their ‘law journey’ on or after 1 January 2022 are required to qualify via the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) pathway. For these purposes the start of a ‘law journey’ is, in most cases, the start of an LLB or a law conversion course, such as the GDL, or Law Conversions Course (PGDL). Most students who started their law journey prior to 2022 will have the choice of qualifying as a solicitor via the LPC or SQE pathway.
We’re here to make things a little clearer for you if you’re unsure of what exactly the differences are, and which route is most suitable for you, so that you’re confident in the knowledge that you’re setting yourself on the right track. First, let’s take a look at the differences between the two.
What are the differences between the LPC and SQE?
Entry requirements
Under the LPC route, you will need to have graduated with an LLB or taken a Graduate Diploma in Law or a Postgraduate Diploma in Law.
The SQE has opened the doors for students from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to qualify as a solicitor. You’ll need a UK undergraduate degree, or a qualification or work experience which is equivalent to a UK degree. For example, this could be a solicitor apprenticeship.
The SQE assessments are rigorous and demanding in testing skills and knowledge, and we strongly recommend that before attempting the SQE, non-law graduates take a course that gets them to the same level of knowledge as an LLB, GDL or Law Conversion Course (PGDL) graduate.
Cost
When the SRA announced the implementation of the SQE, one of the key reasons for this new route was to reduce the cost of qualifying as a solicitor and widening access to the profession, along with the option to work and study at the same time. However, it is apparent that this may not be the case.
Assessment fees for the LPC are included within the course providers fees, meaning you pay one set fee. The SQE exams, however, are centralised assessments, and the cost of sitting both of them amounts to £4,115. On top of this, aspiring solicitors will need to pay for a high-quality preparation course that will give them the best chance of passing the exams first time, as resit fees are also high - £1,622 for both components of SQE1, and £2,493 for SQE2.
Consequently, a comparison of SQE and LPC programmes of similar quality and content will reveal that there is little difference in the overall cost between the two routes.
Examinations and assessment: LPC vs SQE
The LPC
The LPC is divided into two parts. Stage one comprises core modules which are the same for everyone. The most important part of this stage are the core practice areas that will complement your law degree or your graduate conversion course. These are Business Law and Practice, Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation, and Property Law and Practice.
In addition, you will gain a whole host of skills such as Advocacy, Interviewing and Advising, Practical Legal Research, Drafting and Legal Writing.
During stage two, you will choose between three electives which allow you to specialise in the areas which align with your career goals. These may include Corporate Finance, Commercial Law and Intellectual Property, and Family Law, amongst many others.
LPC exams are varied – with multiple-choice questions, written examinations, oral examinations, and take-home assessments.
The SQE
The SQE is a standardised external exam for aspiring solicitors.
The first part of the SQE, SQE1, is divided into two papers which examine practice areas, such as Business and Dispute Resolutions, Civil and Criminal Litigation, Property Law and Practice, and Criminal Law, as well as ‘black letter law subjects, which include Contract Law, Tort Law, Administrative Law, Estates and Trusts amongst others.
These two SQE1 papers comprise 180 multiple-choice questions and each last 5 hours and 6 minutes.
Although some students believe that multiple-choice are straightforward, all five options in the answer will look plausible, because they are written on a ‘single best answer’ basis, which will make it extremely difficult if you are not fully prepared with a suitably robust programme.
The second stage of the SQE, SQE2, assesses your skills in the contents of the SQE1 syllabus mentioned above. The skills include face-to-face assessments for oral skills, including Client Interviewing and Advocacy. These are also online assessments which test your written skills, such as Case and Matter Analysis, Legal Research, Legal Writing, and Legal Drafting.
Qualifying Work Experience vs Training Contract
Under the LPC route, you are required to complete a training contract, which is two years of regulated work-based training, typically undertaken with just one employer.
If you follow the SQE route to qualification, you will need to undertake two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE), which can be carried out in a maximum of four periods, at up to four organisations. This provides you with flexibility and the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills in a range of different settings.
QWE can be acquired before, during or after your SQE assessments.
SRA requirements for Character and Suitability
Whether you take the LPC or SQE route to qualification, you will need to meet the SRA requirements for character and suitability in order to be admitted as a solicitor.
The character and suitability requirements are in place to ensure that those applying to be a solicitor are able to protect and serve the public and the public interest, as well as maintain public trust and confidence in legal services.
Character and suitability will be checked at the point at which you apply to be a solicitor.
Do law firms prefer LPC or SQE?
The position of law firms on whether they’re looking for students to take the LPC or SQE route to qualification will vary from firm to firm. In practice, both pathways are still acceptable to many firms although the number of LPC training contracts is expected to diminish over the next few years as firms switch from the LPC to the SQE, which will be expected around 2023/2024.
Those who have studied the LPC or would still prefer to qualify through that route (note that you must have started your legal training before 1 September 2021 to qualify under the LPC route) need not panic, with firms emphasising that choice is paramount. Firms who are running SQE training programmes may run parallel intakes for LPC graduates, and other may require LPC graduates to take the SQE2 exam alongside or before they start qualifying work experience.
Are firms expecting non-law graduates to have studied a preparation course?
As we’re still so early into the SQE route to qualification, there is no significant data on pass rates or new courses. However, firms have suggested that for non-law graduates, an SQE test-prep course will not provide enough depth and breadth of the law. Trainees will need to showcase additional a solid foundation in the law from day one of their training contact knowledge/QWE and the only way non-law graduates can reach a similar position to their LLB peers is by first undertaking a quality law conversion course, such as the Law Conversion Course (PGDL), before embarking on the SQE.
Which is the right route for you?
For those who started their law journey prior to 2022, you can choose either pathway. Whether you choose to take the LPC or SQE route is ultimately your decision as it is based on your personal circumstances.
If you’re a non-law graduate who hasn’t yet started your ‘law journey’, only the SQE route is open to you.
