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Do you know what to do to confirm qualifying work experience?
08 October 2024
Under the SQE route, all solicitors are eligible to confirm an SQE candidate's period of qualifying work experience (QWE). Even if you haven't been involved in approving training, you might be asked to do this. It is an important regulatory step and solicitors must be satisfied through their own knowledge of the candidate or their organisation's processes.
This is what you are being asked to confirm:
- the length of the work experience
- that it was providing legal services and the candidate had the opportunity to develop some or all of the competences for solicitors (minimum of two)
- that no issues arose during the work experience that raise questions over the candidate's character and suitability to be admitted as a solicitor.
Confirming QWE does not involve:
- deciding whether an individual is competent to practise. Competence is determined by passing the SQE assessments rather than by a confirming solicitor at the end of a period of QWE
- judging how well a candidate has been trained, the quality of their experience or the standard of their work
- deciding on an individual's character and suitability to become a solicitor. We assess this when they apply for admission. QWE should be confirmed, even if there are any concerns about the individual's character and suitability. A solicitor must provide details of any issues, if appropriate, and can do this through the confirming process.
Confirming QWE is done within mySRA. Find out more about it in our guide.