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Departing SRA boss says SQE is ‘going really well’

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By Legal Cheek on

14

Paul Philip remains upbeat despite difficulties following rollout


The chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority has said the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is “going really well” as he prepares to step down at the end of the week — despite technical glitches, marking errors, and low pass rates that have plagued the exam since its rollout several years ago.

Speaking at a conference last week, Paul Philip described the old Legal Practice Course (LPC) system as “broken,” noting that “the standard variation between providers was just too wide.”

“Now we have one assessment provider, and we’re really happy with how it’s going and the quality of the assessment,” he added. He went on to describe the SQE as his “lasting legacy,” according to Law360 UK (£).

Philip, who served as deputy CEO of the General Medical Council before joining the solicitors’ regulator in 2014, said the quality of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is “very similar to other high-stakes professions,” including medicine.

Philip’s comments follow a turbulent roll out of the SQE as law schools and students continue to grapple with the new regime.

The SQE Hub: Your ultimate resource for all things SQE

Since its introduction in 2021, the SQE has not delivered the smooth rollout the SRA had hoped for. Legal Cheek has previously reported a series of problems, including IT failures at test centres, lengthy online queues for booking exam slots, and what is arguably the most serious error to date — a calculation blunder that wrongly informed 175 students they had failed SQE1.

More recently, a trainee solicitor went as far as launching a public petition calling on the regulator to overhaul the assessment format, citing the “severe toll” it has taken on her mental, financial and physical wellbeing.

On whether the exam was too difficult — with the most recent SQE1 pass rate at a record low of 41% — Philip said: “[L]et’s be honest here, being a solicitor is an important part to play in society. We think it’s important that we have a robust assessment. So actually, from a personal perspective, I think it’s going really well, but the debate continues.”

Referring to a new report which found that solicitor apprentices were among the SQE’s top performers, Philip said the SRA was “really pleased,” noting that “you start to see a degree of social mobility in the profession.”

14 Comments

Major Major Major Major

What hope do you have if your parents can’t even agree to call you Paul or Philip?

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(15)(4)

Milton

The individuals who would have been of low utility to law firms will continue to whinge but Paul is absolutely right.

The barrier to entry is there to protect the public from low human capital, masquerading as lawyers, playing fast and loose with their legal affairs.

I passed in the top percentile in both exams and I would actually happily have the results published publicly. I think clients should be able to see the competence of the individuals they instruct and sniff out any ropey hires your firm made.

There should be a database where you can search up any qualified solicitors SQE scores and also how many attempts they took. Enough of the snowflakes, I said it before and I will say it again; if you put in the hours, and have what it takes to enter the profession, you will pass this exam.

Good on the apprentices for the social mobility point. Surely people should be celebrating that this limits nepotism to some degree? Partner can’t hire his/her kids if they are too thick to pass the entry exam.

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(11)(29)

Legaleagle432

I disagree with your first four paragraphs. Anyone who has actually sat those exams knows that they are not an indicator of competence for a legal career. They primarily test memory (including SQE2). I say this as someone who passed SQE1 in the top quintile.

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(29)(3)

Lewis Silk Cut

But the SQE has little to no correlation with your competence as a solicitor. It simply shows that you can master exam technique. This is of course impressive. But clients don’t want that. The public doesn’t want that. They want good lawyers who get the job done and know what they’re doing.

And that’s why the SQE was a pointless endeavour to replace an already satisfactory system. Executive level lawyers like partners and General Counsel are the true gatekeepers who set the standards of solicitors that work in their organisations. You won’t last long as a solicitor if you don’t meet your employer’s standards or expectations.

I have no doubt the SQE was introduced simply because the SRA wanted to shake up the landscape to remain relevant, rather than improving standards in the profession.

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(12)(2)

Milson

Show us your results then Milton. Otherwise, your comment is about as credible as a Rachel Reeves statement.

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(8)(0)

Anon

Harsh but fair. SQE results are not all random.

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(3)(0)

Anonymous

Sums it all up. No accountability, ignoring all of the problems with the exam. Although there are some good elements to it, there is still a lot to be done. However, the SRA won’t do anything about it.

Also, I don’t understand how the SQE increases social mobility at all. Look at the cost of passing the exam (exam itself, course providers, extra mocks due to the SRA’s vague specification).

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(10)(0)

sneed

Frog says the water is nice and warm

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(0)(0)

Paul Out

I haven’t seen a more calamitous person in a position of power like Paul Philip since Erik Ten Hag at United

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(1)(0)

Dansk

Something no one has ever been able to explain to me, and I would gladly know the answer: why couldn’t/wouldn’t the SRA fix the LPC, and instead opted for a brand new qualification and assessment?

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(5)(0)

Gdansk

Because at the core it was never about fixing the LPC. The LPC wasn’t broken. It was a fit for purpose system for a path to admission.

The reason for a wholesale change was likely political, with conversations happening behind closed doors about how fit for purpose the SRA is in achieving its statutory objectives and public policy goals. The SRA, to be seen as a competent regulator, then would have developed the SQE to demonstrate its capability of managing public policy initiatives. It wants to be the hero in its own story.

It’s not surprising. Around the same time Ofcom and the FCA were developing significant changes in their industries too (e.g. Consumer Duty for FS) due to mounting public and political pressure. I suspect the SRA wants to remain as relevant as these regulators. Enter SQE.

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(3)(0)

Ines

He’s lucky he isn’t being sued and no one has uninstalled from life from this stupid exam (that we know of).
Can he justify why each provider has such differing content on the syllabus? No one knows for sure what’s examinable and are just guessing.
The government needs to strip the SRA of qualification powers as well.

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(3)(1)

Anonymous

Milton,
Your comment about needing a barrier to entry to ensure a high standards is fair, but you place too high an emphasis on the role of the SQE in career competence.
It tests some important skills as a barrier for entry, but by no means reflects competence as a lawyer.
For instance, many of us work in fields of law not even mentioned (let alone tested) by SQEs, and rely on a skill set and experience that differs from the exams. Using a snapshot of pre-day 1 experience to imply a level of competence for one’s career would be wildly misleading in many cases.

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(0)(0)

Dorrens

The essaray need to wake up and smell the coffi. This is not stainable.

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(1)(0)

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