Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) SQE2 Practical Legal Skills Syllabus

What four factors structure a bail application/objection under the Bail Act 1976?

Whether there are substantial grounds to believe the defendant would (a) fail to surrender, (b) commit further offences, or (c) interfere with witnesses/obstruct justice; and the relevant considerations include the nature/seriousness of the offence, character, antecedents, associations and community ties.

What is a plea in mitigation and what is its purpose?

A submission made on behalf of a convicted defendant, after a guilty plea or finding of guilt, aimed at persuading the court to impose the least severe appropriate sentence by addressing the offence's seriousness and the offender's personal mitigation.

What is the recommended structured methodology for conducting legal research?

(1) Analyse the facts and identify the legal issue/question, (2) identify keywords and the relevant area of law, (3) consult appropriate primary and secondary sources, (4) update/verify the law is current (check it is good law), and (5) apply the law to the facts and reach a reasoned conclusion.

Distinguish primary and secondary legal sources used in legal research.

Primary sources are the law itself — legislation (statutes and statutory instruments) and case law. Secondary sources explain or comment on the law — textbooks, practitioner works (e.g. Halsbury's Laws), journals, and encyclopaedias — and are used as a finding aid, not as authority.

Why must a researcher 'update' or 'noter-up' the law before relying on it?

To confirm the source is still good law — i.e. the statute is in force and not amended/repealed, and the case has not been overruled, reversed, distinguished or doubted — using citators such as case history/judicial consideration tools.

What is the purpose and typical structure of a legal research report in SQE2?

To answer a specific legal question for a colleague/client; it states the issue/question, the relevant law (with accurate citation of authority), the application of the law to the facts, and a clear, reasoned conclusion/advice — written for the intended reader.

What is assessed in the SQE2 legal research station?

Identifying the relevant legal issues, locating and using the correct primary sources, verifying the law is current, applying the law accurately to the facts, and recording the research in a clear written report with a correct, reasoned conclusion and proper citation.

What key features distinguish written advice to a client from advice written to a fellow solicitor?

Advice to a client must be in plain English, avoid jargon, explain practical implications and options, and be tailored to the client's understanding; advice to a colleague can use legal terminology and assume legal knowledge, focusing on technical analysis.

What structure is recommended for a letter of written advice to a client?

Clear opening/context, a summary of the relevant facts/instructions, the legal position explained in plain terms, the options with risks and consequences, a clear recommendation, the costs implications, and the next steps/action required.

What are the core qualities of good legal writing assessed in SQE2?

Clarity, accuracy, conciseness, logical structure, appropriate tone and register for the audience, correct law, plain English (avoiding unnecessary legalese), and good grammar, spelling and punctuation.

In SQE2 legal writing, who might the intended reader be and why does this matter?

The reader could be a client, another party/solicitor, or a third party; identifying the reader determines the appropriate tone, level of legal detail, and language — writing must be tailored to that audience's needs and understanding.

What is the difference between legal writing and legal drafting as separate SQE2 skills?

Legal writing produces communications such as letters, emails or memos of advice; legal drafting produces or amends legal documents that create or record rights and obligations (e.g. contracts, leases, wills, court documents) using precise operative language.

What are the 'golden rules' of good legal drafting?

Use clear and unambiguous language, be precise and consistent in defined terms, use the active voice and short sentences, ensure internal consistency/cross-references, avoid surplus words, and make sure the document achieves the client's commercial/legal objective.

Why is consistency of defined terms critical in legal drafting?

Inconsistent or undefined terms create ambiguity that can change the legal effect of a document, lead to disputes over meaning, and may render clauses unenforceable; once a term is defined it must be used consistently throughout.

What is the function of an 'operative provision' in a drafted legal document?

It is the substantive clause that creates, transfers, varies or records the legal rights and obligations of the parties (e.g. the grant, the covenants, the consideration), as distinct from recitals, definitions or boilerplate.

In SQE2, what does the 'quality, accuracy and review' competency require of a candidate's work product?

That the work is legally correct, factually accurate, complete, internally consistent, free of errors (grammar/spelling/calculations), appropriately presented, and checked/proofread before being treated as final.

What is the purpose of proofreading and reviewing legal work before it is sent or relied upon?

To catch and correct errors of law, fact, calculation, omission, ambiguity, inconsistency and typography that could mislead the client, prejudice the case, or expose the firm to a negligence claim.

Across all five SQE2 skills, on which two overarching aspects is every candidate marked?

(1) The skill itself (how well the task is performed — e.g. structure, communication, technique), and (2) the application of law and legal/ethical knowledge (whether the underlying law and professional conduct applied are correct).

What five practice areas can be tested in SQE2, providing the legal context for the skills?

Criminal litigation (including advising at the police station and practice); Dispute resolution (civil litigation); Property practice; Wills and intestacy, probate administration and practice; and Business organisations, rules and procedures (including taxation).

What is meant by 'integration of legal knowledge and skills' in SQE2?

Candidates must apply substantive law from the relevant practice areas while performing a practical skill — the skill is never tested in the abstract; correct legal analysis and the skill must be demonstrated together in a realistic transaction or dispute.

How are professional conduct and ethics assessed within SQE2?

They are not a separate station; ethical and professional conduct issues are 'pervasive' — embedded within the skills assessments — and candidates are expected to identify and address them as they arise in the context of each task.

How many SQE2 stations are there and over how many days are they sat?

There are 16 stations (assessments) sat over a number of assessment days (typically across several days), covering the five skills in both written and oral form across the practice areas.

How are the 16 SQE2 stations split between oral and written skills?

There are typically 4 oral stations (client interview with attendance note/analysis, and advocacy across contexts) and 12 written stations (covering legal writing, legal drafting, legal research and case/matter analysis across the practice areas).

Who assesses SQE2 oral stations and how are written stations marked?

Oral stations are assessed by solicitor assessors (and, in the interview, a trained actor plays the client); written stations are marked by solicitor assessors against a criterion-referenced marking scheme.

What two sets of criteria do SQE2 assessors apply when marking each station?

Skills criteria (the quality of the practical skill performed) and application-of-law criteria (the accuracy of the legal content), each marked on a scale, with both contributing to the overall competence judgement.

What overall standard must a candidate's performance meet to pass SQE2?

The standard of a 'competent newly qualified solicitor' (a day-one solicitor) — i.e. performing the tasks to the level reasonably expected of a solicitor at the point of qualification.

Is SQE2 marked station-by-station pass/fail, or aggregated?

It is aggregated — marks from across all 16 stations are combined to give a total SQE2 score, and a candidate must achieve the overall pass mark; a weak performance in one station can be compensated by stronger performances elsewhere.

What is 'case and matter analysis' as a skill underpinning SQE2 tasks?

The ability to take a set of facts, identify the relevant legal and factual issues, evaluate evidence and options, assess strengths/weaknesses and risk, and reach a reasoned conclusion or recommendation on how to advance the client's objectives.

In the SQE2 interview, what is the role of the actor and how does this affect technique?

A trained actor plays the client and responds to the candidate's questions; the candidate must use effective open/closed questioning, active listening, empathy and rapport to draw out the full account, because the actor only reveals information in response to good interviewing.

When giving written or oral advice, how should a solicitor handle the limits of certainty about an outcome?

Advice should be appropriately qualified — explaining risks, likelihood of success and assumptions — without giving false guarantees; the solicitor sets out realistic prospects so the client can make an informed decision.

What practical organisational features make oral advocacy submissions persuasive and clear?

A logical signposted structure, brevity and relevance, dealing with the strongest points first, supporting submissions with relevant facts and authority, maintaining appropriate pace and eye contact, observing court etiquette, and clearly stating the precise order sought.