What Counts as Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) for the SQE?

Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) is one of the two main requirements for qualifying as a solicitor through the SQE, alongside passing the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments. It is also the part that causes the most worry. Many candidates assume their experience "won't count" because it was not a traditional training contract, was gained abroad, or was unpaid. In reality, QWE is far broader and more flexible than most people expect.

This guide explains exactly what counts as QWE under the SRA's rules, the settings and roles that qualify, and the one step where candidates most often get stuck: getting the experience confirmed.

The Four Conditions Your Experience Must Meet

For work to count as QWE, the SRA sets out a small number of conditions. If your experience meets all of them, it qualifies, regardless of your job title or where you did it.

1. At least two years' full-time experience (or the equivalent). This can be completed in one continuous period or built up in stages.
2. The work must involve providing legal services. It needs to be genuine legal work rather than purely administrative or operational tasks.
3. You must be exposed to at least two of the competences in the SRA's Statement of Solicitor Competence.
4. The experience must be confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales (or a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice).

Notice what is not on that list. There is no requirement for a training contract, no requirement that the work be paid, and no requirement that it be done in a traditional law firm.

Where You Can Gain QWE

QWE can be gained in a wide range of settings, and you can combine experience from up to four different organisations to reach the two-year total. Common qualifying settings include:

• Law firms, in any role that involves legal work (including paralegal and legal assistant roles)
• In-house legal or compliance teams at companies and other organisations
• Law clinics, university clinics, and pro bono projects
• Charities, law centres, and Citizens Advice
• Courts, tribunals, and government legal teams
• Legal work carried out overseas

QWE can also be gained before, during, or after you sit the SQE assessments, and there is no fixed order. Many candidates start gathering and confirming their experience early, so it is ready by the time they pass their exams.

What "Providing Legal Services" Really Means

This is the condition that decides most borderline cases. The work has to involve genuine legal services, such as researching points of law, drafting documents, taking client instructions, preparing attendance notes, negotiating, or managing legal matters. Purely operational or technical work that simply implements someone else's legal or regulatory framework, without you applying legal knowledge and judgement, will generally not qualify on its own.

The good news is that the bar is about substance, not seniority. Work prepared under supervision and reviewed by someone more senior still counts, as long as you were genuinely doing legal work.

The Competences

You need exposure to at least two of the competences set out in the SRA's Statement of Solicitor Competence. These cover areas such as obtaining relevant facts, undertaking legal research, developing and advising on options and solutions, drafting documents, and communicating clearly in writing and orally. Most genuine legal roles touch several of these without the candidate realising it.

Paid, Unpaid, and Overseas Work

Two of the most common worries are easy to settle:

• Unpaid and volunteer work counts. The SRA does not require QWE to be paid. Volunteering at a law centre, a clinic placement, or pro bono work can all qualify, provided the work involved real legal services.
• Overseas experience counts. QWE can be gained anywhere in the world and in any legal setting. Work done outside England and Wales can qualify in exactly the same way as work done at home.

The Step People Get Stuck On: Confirmation

Meeting the conditions is one thing. Getting the experience confirmed is where many candidates run into difficulty. QWE has to be confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales (or a COLP) who has reviewed your work during the relevant period and received feedback from the person who supervised you.

Importantly, that solicitor does not need to hold a practising certificate, and does not need to work at the same organisation as you. This is what makes independent confirmation possible: if there is no solicitor at your workplace who can sign off your experience, an external confirming solicitor can review your evidence, take feedback from your supervisor, and provide the confirmation instead.

That is exactly what we do. Our confirming solicitor reviews your documentation and confirms your qualifying work experience on a fixed-fee basis, with a free assessment first so you know where you stand before paying anything.

If you are unsure whether your experience counts, you do not have to guess. Fill in our short form and we will give you a free, personalised assessment of your situation.