The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) will be introduced in autumn 2021, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed. The candidate fee is likely to range between £3,000–£4,500. SQE’s launch has been pushed back a year in response to feedback gathered from universities and law firms, who wanted more time to prepare. The exam will be in two parts, the first testing legal knowledge and the second testing practical legal skills. Paul Philip, SRA chief executive, said SQE ‘offers a fresh opportunity to increase access to the profession’.
14 November 2018
SQE coming in 2021
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Withers—Sophie Barrett-Brown
Withers drives further growth in its UK immigration team with new partner Sophie Barrett-Brown
Venus Legal—Esther Amoako
Venus Legal invests in next generation of legal talent as specialist litigation practice grows
Fisher Phillips—Catrina Smith
Fisher Phillips continues momentum in London with arrival of Catrina Smith
NEWS
Restrictions on workplace non-disclosure agreements could make settlements slower, more complex and more expensive when reforms expected in 2027 take effect
Private prosecutors face closer scrutiny under Crown Prosecution Service guidance designed to strengthen accountability and consistency when intervention is requested
Foreign states cannot necessarily claim immunity for cyber operations launched abroad against computers in Britain, following a divided Supreme Court ruling
Defendants who make unsupported complaints about their lawyers risk losing legal aid while confiscation proceedings continue without representation
Lawyers advising Russian clients face different sanctions restrictions across the UK, EU and US, despite their shared objective of increasing pressure on Russia
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