Solicitors Qualifying Exam would disadvantage poorer candidates, warns Law Society
updated on 25 February 2016
Introducing a standardised professional exam for all qualifying solicitors could have a negative impact on diversity in a profession that is already disproportionately white, male and middle class in its senior echelons, the Law Society has warned.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is a proposal currently being consulted on by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). If implemented, it could spell the end of the Legal Practice Course, which is currently the final vocational, exam-heavy stage of legal education before commencing on-the-job training at a law firm. However, the Law Society has warned that the change could disadvantage those from less affluent backgrounds, because the SQE may well lead to the rise of a slew of new SQE preparation courses that would not be eligible for funding through student loans, meaning that those who can afford to self-fund would have a distinct advantage in the exam. The Law Society also rejected the SRA’s argument that the change could mean that poorer candidates would be able to bypass university altogether, citing the huge advantages and enjoyment that a university education can bring to people from less-privileged backgrounds, adding: “The opportunities for improvement in written, verbal, team-working and other valuable skills would not be available to [poorer candidates] otherwise, nor would the valuable contacts they will need for gaining work experience or training opportunities.”
In a statement, the Law Society also warned: “Less well informed students, those without access to the profession or good sources of information may pick a course which allows them to pass the SQE, but which is not seen as a suitable education for employers. Alternatively, students may incur large amounts of debt undertaking prestigious university law courses, only to find that they are not prepared for the SQE and need to attend crammer courses, at no doubt more cost. This will be a huge issue for those without financial support.”
