Skip to main content

Considering a career in law?

There are many reasons why students choose in law. It is a prestigous profession which is both challenging and rewarding. There  is also a variety of different legal roles that one may pursue. The most popular route is that of a solicitor, a qualified legal practitioner who provides legal advice to clients, whether to individuals or businesses, in a specialised area of the law.  

A student of any degree discipline can undertake the qualification process to become a solicitor. This broadly involves sitting in a two-stage Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) following completion of your degree, as well as undertaking Qualifying Work Experience.  

As a Brunel student, you can benefit from a discount for a preparation course with BARBI which can help you pass the SQE exams with confidence. 

  • The SQE1 discount – as a Brunel student you can get a 20% discount on BARBRI’s full SQE1 course fee.
  • The SQE 2 discount - £500 alumni discount on BARBRI’s full SQE2 course fees.

Read on to find out more about the exam and how BARBRI can help you throughout your qualification process.  

Brunel Law School will be offering two fully-funded scholarships, each academic year, for the two best performing final year students as determined by the Law Exam Board, meaning they will pay nothing for taking the SQE1 preparation course with BARBRI.

Introducing the Solicitor's Qualifying Exam (SQE)

The Solicitor's Qualifying Exam (SQE) will be officially introduced from September 2021. It will be split into two parts, SQE1 and SQE2, which will test functioning legal knowledge through multiple choice questions and practical legal skills including client interviewing, advocacy and more. This route to qualification will replace the current Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Graduate Diploma Law (GPL), which will be phased out over the coming months.  

BARBRI'S SQE Prep courses

BARBRI's SQE Prep courses are your key to preparing for the SQE with confidence. The exam is split into two assessment stages: SQE1, a functioning  legal knowledge test and a SQE2, the practical skills assessment stage. BARBRI provides preparation courses for students for each of the two stages, using innovative online technology to provide learners with a structured and effective learning envirnoment. The courses are flexible and adaptable to suit learner requirements, providing students with all the tools needed for success in SQE1 and SQE2.  

As a global learning provider, BARBRI has experience of over 50 years with preparing students for this style of testing. BARBRI alumni include over 1.3 million lawyers and other professionals, from presidents, from senators, global CEOs, attorney generals, supreme court justices, to senior partners in the leading law firms around the world and more.

SQE Eligibility

The SQE can be undertaken by anyone who has a degree, in law or otherwise, and it has been praised for diversifying the path to qualification for prospective solicitors.  

Provided you have completed an undergraduate degree, you need to fulfil the remainder of the requirements which includes:

BARBRI provides a number of of course options for students to choose from, depending on their time commitment, level of familiarity with the subjects, offering students the opportunity to earn whilst they learn.

Course Features

BARBRI's SQE1 Prep course provides:

  • A comprehensive and tailored study of core legal principles with instantaneous online feedback;
  • Face-to-face workshops;
  • 1:1 mentor support, available full or part-time.

BARBRI'S SQE2 Prep courses combine: 

  • Personalised 1:1 supervision and feedback; 
  • Practice-based skills scenarios and developmental tasks, to build competence and confidence.

Course Options

SQE1 Prep: 
For law students: 

  • Full-time 10 week programme
  • Part-time 20 week programme

Non-law students:

  • Full-time 20 week programme
  • Part-time 40 week programme

For more information on the SQE1 Prep course options, click here.

SQE2 Prep:

  • Full-time 6-week programme
  • Part-time 12-week programme

For more information on the SEQ2 Prep course options, click here

How and When to Apply?

The SQE1 will be assessed for the first time in November 2021. If you are graduating in summer and would like to sit the first SQE1 exam in November of this year, you have the option to undertake either the 20-week or 10-week course option.

If you would more time to prepare, you can also start a longer 40-week course which would lead up to the April 2022 exam.  

Contact the BARBRI team on the discount information available to Brunel students. You can book a telephone appointment here.

If you are curious to explore more about the SQE, check out the BARBRI website here for posts on useful information for aspiring solicitors.