Asking Line Manager for Qualifying Work Experience

[selfridges]

Hello everyone.

A bit of background about me. I graduated from my LLB in 2016 and worked for two years as a legal assistant for a national firm. I them moved to London and completed my masters degree in IP law and now working for a scientific research company in their IP department.

I now want to further my career and progress to be coming a solicitor. After seeing the SQE pathway I’ve decided to go for it. The question I have is regarding the qualifying work experience. I’ve been working for my company just over two years and im planning to do my SQE 1+2 over the next two years part time.

I want to ask my line manager whose a solicitor if they’ll confirm my experience. They are really nice and been working as a solicitor for over 30 years. I’m just trying to work out the best way to ask them. Does anyone have any tips? I’m hoping that if I give them the information I have that it’ll be fine.

Thank you!

 

[TC fiend]

Hello everyone.

A bit of background about me. I graduated from my LLB in 2016 and worked for two years as a legal assistant for a national firm. I them moved to London and completed my masters degree in IP law and now working for a scientific research company in their IP department.

I now want to further my career and progress to be coming a solicitor. After seeing the SQE pathway I’ve decided to go for it. The question I have is regarding the qualifying work experience. I’ve been working for my company just over two years and im planning to do my SQE 1+2 over the next two years part time.

I want to ask my line manager whose a solicitor if they’ll confirm my experience. They are really nice and been working as a solicitor for over 30 years. I’m just trying to work out the best way to ask them. Does anyone have any tips? I’m hoping that if I give them the information I have that it’ll be fine.

Thank you!

I don’t have much concrete advice to offer but I think my number one tip would be to go in with as much information as possible. Do as much research as you can regarding what qualifies as QWE, who needs to sign off, what the requirements are, and where all that information can be found. Then make them a packet of said information so they’re well-equipped to read it over (and you’ve taken the most annoying part out of the equation for them). Good luck!!

 

[James Carrabino]

Hello everyone.

A bit of background about me. I graduated from my LLB in 2016 and worked for two years as a legal assistant for a national firm. I them moved to London and completed my masters degree in IP law and now working for a scientific research company in their IP department.

I now want to further my career and progress to be coming a solicitor. After seeing the SQE pathway I’ve decided to go for it. The question I have is regarding the qualifying work experience. I’ve been working for my company just over two years and im planning to do my SQE 1+2 over the next two years part time.

I want to ask my line manager whose a solicitor if they’ll confirm my experience. They are really nice and been working as a solicitor for over 30 years. I’m just trying to work out the best way to ask them. Does anyone have any tips? I’m hoping that if I give them the information I have that it’ll be fine.

Thank you!

@selfridges, first of all I would like to congratulate you on what sounds like a really interesting job and a great position to be in!

I am going to solicit @Jessica Booker's advice here on the fine details surrounding what constitutes QWE and what you would need to obtain from your line manager to confirm this!

I will, however, ask you one question - what exactly do you have in mind when you say that 'I now want to further my career and progress to becoming a solicitor'? What benefit do you see the qualification having for you in the long term?

If your goal is ultimately to move into private practice, then I have a feeling that @Jessica Booker will advise you to apply for a Training Contract in the general applicant pool. In the early years of the SQE and QWE, firms may be a little apprehensive to take on associates who have completed their experience in a less traditional environment. With the SQE and QWE under your belt, you may find yourself overqualified for a training contract but underqualified for an associate position. If you graduated from your LLB in 2016 then you should certainly not feel that it is too late to start a training contract in 2024 or 2025. There are plenty of people in my PGDL class in their late 20s and 30s!

You may have some other reason for wanting to become a solicitor, however, which may mean that this is the right route for you