Aspiring lawyers will no longer need university degrees to qualify as new exam brought in

Aspiring lawyers will no longer need university degrees to qualify as a solicitors’ ‘super-exam’ is introduced instead.

The new Solicitors Qualifying Exam will be introduced from autumn 2021 and could help ‘create a profession that better reflects society’. 

The tough assessment, which also requires two years of work experience, will allow legal apprentices to take the exams without being undergraduates in advance.

The new process will involve testing of advocacy skills and legal research ability. 

Anna Bradley, chairman of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, told The Times: ‘We expect that the majority of those who qualify… to have a degree.’ 

But she added: ‘Non-degree routes, such as apprenticeships, will be an attractive option for many people for whom university does not appeal and who want to learn – and earn – in the workplace straightaway.’

Law Society president David Greene added the changes ‘mark a big change in how aspiring solicitors begin their career in law’.