The Solicitor Qualifying Examination is a single for all aspiring solicitors. All those wishing to qualify as a solicitor will need to pass the SQE, as well as holding a degree or equivalent qualification or experience, completing a two-year period of qualifying work experience and meeting SRA’s suitability requirements. Qualifying work experience does not apply to qualified lawyer.
A qualified lawyer is someone who holds a professional legal qualification which confers rights to practise in England and Wales or in another jurisdiction. Qualified lawyers need to have a degree that is the same level as UK Degree, or other qualification and/or experience that is equivalent to this pass the SQE assessment which is made up of two parts:
SQE1 tests legal knowledge through a multiple-choice test
SQE2 test practical skills through oral and written exams
Qualified lawyers in Pakistan can apply for SQE2 assessment exemptions based on their qualifications and/or experience. To gain an SQE2 exemption, you must show that you have the skills and legal knowledge assessed and applied to the same standard as candidates taking the SQE2. This is done through your qualification(s) or experience, or a combination of both.
Islamabad School of Law provides tuition support for preparation for the SQE1 assessments. The two SQE1 Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) assessments comprise the following subject areas:
Business Law and Practice; Dispute Resolution; Contract; Tort; Legal System of England and Wales; Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law and Legal Services (FLK 1).
Property Practice; Wills and the Administration of Estates; Solicitors Accounts; Land Law; Trusts; Criminal Law and Practice (FLK 2).
Within each of the above FLK assessments, questions may draw on any combination of the subject areas which might be encountered in practice.
Ethics and Professional Conduct will be examined pervasively across the two assessments above.
Principles of taxation will be examined only in the context of:
Business Law and Practice
Property Law and Practice
Wills and the Administration of Estates