Time limits on the validity of the law degree, PGDL, LPC, SQE and Bar course

Dear Oracle

How long are legal qualifications valid for? Once I graduate with my law degree, how long do I have to qualify as a solicitor/barrister before it expires?

The Oracle replies

Reading time: four minutes

We get a lot of questions on this topic and it’s true that the guidance available is opaque. Let’s explain what time limits there are on the validity of qualifications for both aspiring solicitors and barristers.

Law degree/GDL if you want to become a solicitor

There’s no time limit on the validity of a law degree or the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) for would-be solicitors. For candidates who graduated with a law degree or GDL in 2022, the next step to qualifying as a solicitor could be the Legal Practice Course (LPC) or Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), which was introduced in September 2021.

Anyone who started or accepted an offer to start a law degree, the GDL or a training contract before or up to September 2021 has until as late as 2032 to complete the LPC and qualify as a solicitor this way. However, course providers may stop teaching the LPC as more firms adopt the SQE – in fact, the LPC is expected to be phased out by 2026 and the full transition to the SQE to be completed by 2032.

You can read our guide to SQE preparation courses for more information.

Find out more about The University of Law's SQE preparation and law conversion courses today.

Candidates who started an undergraduate degree or postgraduate law conversion after September 2021 must now pass the SQE to qualify as a solicitor.

That said, many firms will require non-law graduates to complete a law conversion course before starting SQE preparation and qualifying work experience (QWE) or a training contract with them. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) also encourages all SQE candidates (including non-law graduates) to complete an SQE preparation course to give themselves the best chance of passing both stages of the SQE assessments.

For more information on non-law students, the SQE and law conversion courses, read LCN’s Oracle. Plus, we answer all your SQE-related FAQs in this LCN Says. 

LPC

The LPC must be completed within five years of beginning the course. After you’ve completed the LPC, there’s no expiration date on it. However, leaving a big gap between completing the LPC and applying for a training contract is something that recruiters who are looking for a commitment to the profession will question you about.

The LPC will remain a valid route to qualifying as a solicitor until 2032 for those who meet the transitional arrangements set out by the SRA.

SQE

The SQE is divided into two stages:

• SQE1 covers functioning legal knowledge; and
• SQE2 focuses on practical legal skills and knowledge.

Find out more about what the SQE covers via LCN’s Feature: ‘The Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE): everything you need to know’.

Find out how the SQE has impacted training contracts with this Oracle and discover more about QWE via LawCareers.Net.

The SRA explains that if a candidate fails either SQE1 or SQE2 three times during the six-year period, “you must wait until that six-year period expires before reapplying, and previous passes will not be carried forward”.

Candidates must also complete their two years’ QWE before they apply for admission to the roll of solicitors.

To find out about the SQE and reasonable adjustments, check out this LCN Says and for more on the SQE, head to LawCareers.Net’s SQE hub, sponsored by The University of Law.

Law degree/GDL if you want to become a barrister

For those pursuing a career as a barrister, the law degree must be completed within the maximum time limit of six years, although this rule can be relaxed in exceptional circumstances. For non-law students, full-time PGDL candidates should normally complete the course in no less than one year and no more than three years, while part-time PGDL students should normally complete the course in no less than two years but no more than four years. Candidates can apply for an extension of time via their course provider. The normal maximum number of attempts for the PGDL (depending on the provider) is three. If candidates exhaust all three attempts of the PGDL, they must begin a full law degree or PGDL programme afresh to satisfy the academic component.

In addition, candidates must start the Bar course within five years of graduating with a law degree or PGDL, including any relevant resits. If the Bar course isn’t started within this time, the law degree/PGDL is regarded as stale. In some exceptional circumstances, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) may reactivate stale qualifications, but only “where there is reliable evidence from an impartial and professional source that you have kept your knowledge of all of the foundations of legal knowledge subjects up to date” through further legal study or employment, for example.

The only other way to reactivate a stale qualification to continue on your journey and take the Bar course would be to complete (or re-complete) the PGDL.

The SRA and BSB previously held joint responsibility for approving qualifying law degrees for barristers. However, following the introduction of the SQE for solicitors, the SRA will not be involved in approving any law degrees that started after 31 December 2021.

Bar course

As above, the Bar course must be started within five years of completing the academic stage (ie, a law degree or PGDL). If you leave it later than that, your law degree/PGDL will be viewed as stale and you’ll be unable to do the Bar course.

Once you complete the Bar course, you have five years to secure pupillage before the qualification expires.

If that five-year period expires without having successfully secured pupillage, you can request an extension from the BSB, which has the discretion to do so.

The BSB would take whether you’ve been working in the legal profession during that time (eg, as a paralegal) into account when making this decision.

We also advise you to check that your qualifications are recognised by the BSB.

Apprenticeships

If you want to qualify without a degree and work in a legal office, there are an array of legal apprenticeships on offer, including business administrator apprenticeships, paralegal apprenticeships, chartered legal executive apprenticeships and solicitor apprenticeships.

Talks of barrister apprenticeship are also in the works, the BSB and Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education having recently revealed the barrister apprenticeship standard, which sets out the skills, knowledge and behaviours required to become a successful practising barrister in England and Wales.

Make sure you visit LawCareers.Net’s Apprenticeship hub for more information on these alternative routes into the profession.

For more information on becoming a solicitor, head to LawCareers.Net’s Solicitors hub. Interested in pursuing the Bar? Head to LawCareers.Net’s Barristers hub.