BPP University Law School and TLT partner to deliver a bespoke and innovative Solicitor Qualification Exam (SQE) programme

October 11, 2022

SQE is the new route to qualification under England & Wales’ Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), replacing the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Period of Recognised Training that was introduced in 1993. The aim of the SQE is to make the legal sector more accessible and open the pathways to qualification through a variety of changes.

TLT has created three different pathways to qualify solicitors: the SQE training programme (which will replace the traditional training contract), the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship and the Legal Solicitor Apprenticeship.

The SQE training programme will frontload the SQE1 and a bespoke essentials for practice course, which covers traditional LPC modules the SQE1 no longer follows. Trainee solicitors will then start their Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) with the firm, which will continue to follow a 4-seat rotational curriculum to ensure trainee solicitors still experience a variety of departments before they decide in which practice area they wish to qualify. SQE2 will follow an apprenticeship-style earn-while-you-learn approach to capitalise on the SRA’s prescribed view that the second exam should be sat once practical skills have been learned and understood.

The Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship has been introduced to qualify the firm’s paralegal talent and grow the departments organically. This programme is an “earn-while-you-learn” scheme which sees the apprentices continue their TLT work for four days a week and have a study day once a week with BPP.

The Legal Solicitor Apprenticeship has been launched to give future talent an alternative to university. This is a six-year degree apprenticeship, which also includes the SQE examinations and QWE, meaning that once completed the apprentices are fully qualified solicitors with the firm. 

Liz Ritter, Head of Business Development at BPP commented:

“We are delighted that TLT have placed their trust and confidence in BPP to support the delivery of their SQE strategy.  This is a time of great change for those entering the legal profession and we are pleased to partner with TLT, who share the same ethos and values as we do to ensure the future success of their early talent under these new pathways to qualification.”