SQE prep courses offer choice but junior lawyers criticise high fees

As more law schools and universities reveal the fees students can expect to pay for Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) preparation courses, the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) has said that fears that the new ‘super exam’ would fail to drive down the average cost of becoming a lawyer have been confirmed.

At the top end, The University of Law (ULaw) has announced that its new LLM Legal Practice – a course designed to prepare students for both stages of the SQE and replace the current LPC – will cost between £12,900 and £17,500, excluding the exam fees to take the SQE itself (£3,890).

ULaw’s Peter Crisp, pro vice chancellor (external), said: “Our new programmes will enable students to pass the SQE with confidence as well as making them office-ready for practice in a law firm by empowering them with the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for a successful career in law.”

But the JLD said that it “remains concerned that this poses a serious threat to social mobility and diversity.”

The junior lawyers’ body expressed its beliefs that aspiring solicitors will choose to take the SQE preparation courses on offer so as not to “gamble” on the SQE without the knowledge required to pass it and because “it is likely that employers will give credit in assessment/interview to those who have undertaken an additional level of legal education”.

The JLD added: “As a result, the overall cost of completing the SQE… will be more expensive than the current LPC courses of equivalent duration.”

Meanwhile, a range of law schools are also providing SQE training, with a variety of courses aimed at candidates at different stages, with an equal variety of fees. BARBRI announced that the fees for its SQE1 and SQE2 preparation courses will both be £2,999, excluding the £3,890 for exam fees, bringing the total cost of qualifying as a solicitor to around £10,000 – a significantly lower figure than the cost of the LPC.

With several SQE preparation course packages available, QLTS’ SQE fees range from £1,500-£2,400 for SQE1 and £1,500-£2,500 for SQE2 – the price reflecting the material candidates will have access to, as well as contact time with tutors, for example. Aspiring lawyers studying with QLTS could complete the SQE for less than £8,000.

Earlier this week, The College of Legal Practice, established by The College of Law Australasia, revealed the cost of its SQE preparation courses – the Developing Legal Professionals (DLP) programme. The DLP programme is made up of three core areas; Solicitors Legal Knowledge (SLK), Solicitors Legal Skills (SLS) and legal skills modules. The SLK course (SQE1 preparation) will cost £1,800, while the SLS Course (SQE2 preparation) will cost £2,300 – these are both available as a 12-week full-time course or a 20-week part-time course. Meanwhile, the legal skills modules range in price starting at £800, with a full LLM in Legal Practice available to aspiring solicitors from £6,900.

The introduction of the SQE in September 2021 is expected to cut the cost of entering the profession, with BARBRI, QLTS and ULaw being among the first to announce the fees for their SQE preparation courses. However, with fees for the more in-depth SQE1 and 2 prep courses remaining high with some providers, the JLD has urged firms to “to consider new models of training and recruitment to aid social mobility, diversity and prevent a two-tier profession from developing due to the obstacles to entry posed by the significant cost of studying and qualification”.

“Access to the legal profession should not be pay-to-access, it should be on merit”, it said.

These SQE prep course costs do not include the costs of the SQE1 and SQE2 exams, which the Solicitors Regulation Authority announced last year. Find more on LawCareers.Net’s SQE Hub.

Several law schools have yet to announce their SQE preparation course fees.