You have done the work, your experience qualifies, and the only thing standing between you and your Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) being recorded is getting it confirmed - but your employer will not, or cannot, do it. It is one of the most common and most frustrating situations aspiring solicitors face on the SQE route. The good news is that it is almost always solvable, and you do not need your employer's cooperation to get there.
This guide explains why it happens, where you actually stand, and the practical route to getting your QWE confirmed regardless.
Watch: what to do when there is no solicitor available to confirm your QWE
First, work out which situation you are in
"My employer won't sign off my QWE" usually means one of two quite different things, and the right next step depends on which applies to you.
1. Your employer has no solicitor or COLP who can confirm it
This is extremely common, and it is not anyone refusing out of bad faith - there is simply no one in the organisation who is eligible to confirm QWE. Many paralegals, in-house teams, compliance functions, charities, and overseas employers have no solicitor of England and Wales (or COLP) on the staff. If that is your situation, your employer is not the obstacle; you just need an eligible solicitor to step in.
2. Your employer could confirm it, but is reluctant or refusing
Less commonly, an organisation does have a solicitor or COLP but is dragging its feet or declining. This can happen because the firm has not engaged with the SQE framework, is worried about losing a useful member of staff to qualification, or simply does not want the administrative effort. This situation feels more personal, but the solution is the same as the first.
What the SRA actually says about refusing
It is worth knowing where you stand. The SRA's position is that where a candidate produces evidence of QWE that meets the required criteria, a solicitor or COLP is expected to confirm it. The SRA has indicated that refusing to confirm genuine qualifying experience purely to keep someone in a non-qualified role would sit uneasily with a firm's regulatory obligations under the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct.
In practice, though, quoting regulations at your current employer is rarely a comfortable or productive conversation - and if your employer has no eligible solicitor in the first place, it does not even apply. That is exactly why the SRA built in an alternative.
You do not need your employer's permission: external confirmation
The SRA expressly allows your QWE to be confirmed by an independent solicitor who did not employ you, provided that solicitor has had sight of your work and has received feedback from the person who supervised it. This is the route that solves both situations above.
An independent confirming solicitor will:
- Review your experience against the SRA's Statement of Solicitor Competence and help identify which competences it demonstrates.
- Guide you on the evidence to prepare - a record of your work, examples of what you produced, and supporting material.
- Contact your day-to-day supervisor to obtain the feedback the SRA requires.
- Provide the formal confirmation, and handle the mySRA step where the SRA asks the solicitor to confirm your QWE.
Crucially, this does not require your employer's blessing or involvement, beyond your supervisor being willing to confirm the work you did. Your supervisor does not need to be a qualified solicitor - they simply corroborate that the work happened. Many candidates find that an individual supervisor is perfectly happy to give that feedback even where the organisation as a whole never engaged with the QWE process.
What if you have already left the job?
You are not out of options. QWE has no expiry date, and retrospective experience is permitted by the SRA. As long as you can evidence the work you did and a former supervisor remains contactable to provide feedback, experience from a previous role can be confirmed after the fact. If your original supervisor has moved on, another person who oversaw your work and can speak to it may be able to provide the feedback instead.
Common situations
No solicitor at a small firm or company
You have spent two years doing genuine legal work, but the business has no solicitor or COLP to confirm it. There is nothing to dispute with your employer - an independent confirming solicitor reviews your evidence and obtains your supervisor's feedback, and your QWE is confirmed.
An employer reluctant to engage
Your firm has a solicitor but has not set up any QWE process and is slow to act. Rather than waiting on them, you arrange external confirmation. Your supervisor gives feedback on your work; the firm's formal participation is not required.
You have moved on from the role
The experience that qualifies came from a job you have since left. With your records of the work and a former supervisor who can be reached for feedback, that experience can still be confirmed retrospectively.
Frequently asked questions
Can my employer legally refuse to confirm my QWE?
An employer with an eligible solicitor or COLP is expected by the SRA to confirm genuine qualifying experience, and refusing simply to retain you in a non-qualified role would sit poorly with their regulatory duties. But you do not need to fight that battle - the SRA allows an independent solicitor to confirm your QWE instead.
Do I need my employer's permission for external confirmation?
No. Independent confirmation does not require your employer's involvement, other than your day-to-day supervisor being willing to confirm the work you carried out. The confirming solicitor works separately from your employer.
Does my supervisor need to be a qualified solicitor?
No. Your supervisor only needs to confirm the work you did during your experience. The formal QWE confirmation itself is provided by the confirming solicitor.
I have left the firm. Can I still get that experience confirmed?
Yes. There is no time limit on when QWE was gained. As long as you can evidence your work and a former supervisor can be contacted for feedback, previous roles can be confirmed retrospectively.
What does it cost, and when do I pay?
At QWE Confirmed the fee is fixed by the number of competences confirmed, starting at £250, with the assessment and guidance free of charge. You only pay once your evidence has been reviewed and confirmed as meeting the SRA's requirements - there is no upfront payment.
What to do now
If your employer will not or cannot confirm your QWE, the most useful first step is a free assessment of your situation. Tell us about your work experience using our short form, and we will respond within 24 hours with whether your experience is likely to qualify, which competences apply, and how confirmation would work - with no obligation and no payment.