Confirming QWE FAQs
Please read through questions you may have about our QWE confirmation service and our responses.
Scroll down to find answers to your questions
QWE basics
What counts as QWE?
In the SRA rules, Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) must: • comprise experience of providing legal services (as defined in the Legal Services Act 2007 (s. 12)) which provides you the opportunity to develop at least two of the competences outlined in the Statement of Solicitor Competence; • cover at least two years' full time or equivalent in total but can be ‘signed off’ in smaller quantities; and • be carried out under an arrangement or employment with no more than four separate firms, educational institutions or other organisations. This can include paid or unpaid work in a law clinic or law centre, on placement during a law degree, pro bono work, work as a paralegal, work in a voluntary or charitable organisation, work on a training contract.
I gained international QWE outside England and Wales. Can LawQWE confirm it?
QWE gained from legal work provided internationally in other jurisdictions can be confirmed, as well as legal work provided in England or Wales. It also does not need to be legal work in English and Welsh law, although experience of legal work in English and Welsh law will be helpful to support you in preparing for and sitting the SQE assessments. We must be able to read your QWE record and we must be able to discuss your QWE with your supervisor(s) to obtain feedback. Our QWE confirming solicitors are only able to review details of your QWE and discuss your QWE with you and your supervisor(s) in English. However, if you are already a qualified lawyer in another jurisdiction, we do not need to confirm your QWE. See below.
Does it matter which area of law my work experience is in?
No, providing the work you have done is within a legal context, delivering legal services, then it does not matter in which area of law you have done this work.
I am qualified overseas as a lawyer. Do I need 2 years' confirmed QWE as part of the SQE route to qualification?
You do not need to complete 2 years' qualifying work experience, confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales, if you are already a qualified lawyer in another jurisdiction. However, if you wish to use your existing qualification as a lawyer to seek an exemption from e.g. SQE2, you will need to demonstrate your work experience for the exemption, based on the requirements related to your particular jurisdiction. Therefore, you should not seek QWE confirmation from us if you are already qualified in another jurisdiction and seeking exemption from SQE2. See the SRA webinar for qualified lawyers - how to cross qualify for more details at https://youtu.be/lIlGaDLYIYw. The section particularly focused on QWE is at 17 minutes 40 seconds into the webinar. You should also refer to https://www.sra.org.uk/become-solicitor/qualified-lawyers/sqe-exemptions/
Who should my supervisor be?
Your supervisor is someone who oversees the work you do and provides you with support and feedback in your role. Your supervisor is likely to be a more senior legal professional, however, they may not necessarily be a regulated lawyer, depending on the work you were doing. For the purposes of QWE confirmation, we must speak with someone who can verify the work you undertook and who supervised you during the period of QWE you are submitting for confirmation.
Is QWE that does not include English and Welsh law eligible for confirmation?
See the question on "I gained international QWE outside England and Wales. Can you confirm it?"
Should I have 2 years’ full time or equivalent QWE completed before using the QWE confirming service?
While you must have 2 years’ full time or equivalent of QWE in total - gained in up to a maximum of 4 organisations - before you can apply to be a solicitor of England and Wales through the SQE route, you can submit less than 2 years’ QWE to us for confirmation. Please note submission of a full 2 years’ QWE will be more cost-effective than submitting up to four separate QWE role confirming requests. You can submit a QWE confirmation request to us when you have completed QWE with a particular organisation. If you are seeking confirmation of several completed periods of QWE at the same time, you will need to complete a separate template for each one.
Can I include non-legal experience within my QWE record?
You may have fulfilled some of the SRA competencies in a non-legal setting, but the focus of your QWE should be on the provision of legal services. Please contact us for guidance if you are unsure if the work you have undertaken should be included in your QWE record via candidates@lawqwe.com.
Will the SRA also confirm my QWE?
The SRA does not confirm your QWE. That is the role of your confirming solicitor. However, the SRA may require you to demonstrate that the processes followed by you and the confirming solicitor in signing off your QWE were robust and met the SRA requirements for sign off.
QWE confirming solicitors
Who is the LawQWE confirming solicitor?
Matt is a practising, SRA-registered (434314) solicitor. Matt qualified as a solicitor in 2011, training at a niche commercial firm in Manchester. He has worked both in private practice and in-house, and now owns his own boutique litigation practice.
Can I meet the confirming solicitor?
All appointments are online, not in person. This is more efficient when arranging discussions.
Does the SRA allow me to use a solicitor I have not worked for as my QWE confirmer?
Yes. The SRA rules specify that your QWE can be confirmed by a solicitor or Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) working in your organisation or, if this is not applicable, by a solicitor working outside of the organisation who has direct experience of your work by undertaking a review of the work you have done during the relevant period of work experience and by discussing your work with your nominated workplace supervisor(s). In order to confirm your QWE at the organisation(s) you obtained your QWE from, the QWE confirming solicitor must assured of the dates and details of the QWE you undertook. This is to ensure the work you carried out meets the definition of QWE and the amount of time required for QWE as outlined in our FAQ “What counts as QWE?”. The confirming solicitor must be assured that the QWE provided you with the opportunity to develop some (at least 2) or all competencies outlined in the Statement of Solicitor Competence and must be assured that no issues arose during the period of work experience that raise a question as to your character and suitability to be admitted as a solicitor, or if such confirmation cannot be given, then details of any such issues will need to be shared. These assurances will be gained through discussion with the candidate and feedback from their supervisor(s).
Can some of my QWE be confirmed by LawQWE's confirming solicitor and some by another confirming solicitor?
Our QWE confirming service is for those who do not, for whatever reason, have someone eligible to confirm their QWE. If you have someone that is eligible and able to confirm some of your 2 years’ QWE, you should use them. However, if you have a mixture of QWE where some can be confirmed by your previous or current supervisors and some cannot, you can use our QWE confirming service for the roles where you do not have someone who can act as confirming solicitor. Remember: Confirmed QWE submitted to the SRA must be carried out under an arrangement or employment with no more than four separate firms, educational institutions or other organisations, so select your roles carefully for your QWE record to ensure you pick the ones that best demonstrate the SRA competences and breadth of your legal practice. You are welcome to contact us for advice on candidates@lawqwe.com if you have multiple roles to choose from.
The QWE confirmation process
What information will I need to send in following payment for Step 1?
We will need: • A completed QWE collation template per QWE placement which contains content as outlined in the SRA training template. We have a proforma with worked examples which we require you to use. • Valid photographic ID for you (in-date passport, national ID card) • Valid contact details (name, employer, work email address) for your supervisor.
Is submitting a detailed record of my QWE essential to get my work confirmed?
Yes. You will need to provide a detailed record of your QWE to enable us to have a discussion with you and with your supervisor to enable us to verify the legal services you have provided.
Why might my information be insufficient at Step 1 and what feedback will I be given?
If we advise you that you are not ready to proceed to Step 2, this is likely to be because you have not provided sufficient detail to demonstrate that: • your experience comprised of providing legal services • your experience provided you the opportunity to develop at least two of the competences outlined in the Statement of Solicitor Competence; • we could verify your ID • we could verify your supervisor contact details In this case, we will send you an action list. Once you've addressed the outstanding queries, you will resubmit your documentation for pre-review once more. Should your documentation then be sufficient, we will let you know you can proceed to Step 2. Should your documentation still be insufficient, you will be advised of this, will be given additional feedback and will need to pay again for Step 1 when you are ready to submit again in future.
What will the QWE confirming solicitor do at Step 2?
Our confirming solicitor will: • undertake a more in-depth review of your documentation provided at Step 1 (Step 2a) • arrange to discuss your work experience with you in more detail (Step 2a). • contact your QWE supervisor, using the details you have provided, to gain feedback on the work experience you have recorded and the dates and duration of this work experience (Step 2b).
What if I submit QWE across more than one organisation but not all of it passes the Step 2 review stage?
If we are able to confirm you completed some QWE, but not all of it, you can continue to Step 3 and pay the report fee for the QWE that we are able to confirm, which includes MySRA submission and sign off. We will provide you with feedback and recommendations for the QWE we are not able to confirm.
What information will I receive at the end of Step 2?
Once all of the information provided by you has been verified to the satisfaction of our confirming solicitor, you will be notified to proceed to Step 3 for full confirmation and sign-off. If there are any concerns about either your QWE record content, or the information provided from discussions with your supervisor which means our confirming solicitor cannot proceed to full confirmation and sign off, you will be provided with an action list and recommendations.
What if my QWE supervisor is not able to discuss my QWE with your confirming solicitor?
If you do not have someone who can verify the details of the work you undertook and the dates you carried it out, you should not use that person or that period of QWE as part of your QWE record submission to us. If you have made contact initially with a supervisor but we then cannot make contact at the Step 2 stage, we will ask you to provide alternative supervisor details for the same QWE placement and use these. We will make every effort to review your QWE with them. However, if we are ultimately not able to make contact with someone who can verify the details of your QWE, we will not be able to complete the review process for that particular QWE period and will not be able to proceed to the next step. Please ensure you have been in touch with your supervisor(s) before submitting your completed QWE collation template to us, to ensure they are willing and able to be contacted by our confirming solicitor. In the event that we are not able to contact your supervisor, we may agree to refund the Step 2b fee, but we will not be able to refund the Step 2a fee.
What happens at Step 3?
Step 3 involves production of a report for you which confirms your QWE record has been signed off by you, your supervisor(s) and our confirming solicitor. At the end of Step 3, you will receive this signed report. The report content is based on the information you have provided which we have verified, it confirms the SRA competences the QWE confirming solicitor considers that you have achieved, and legal services you have provided along with any identified development activities for you to take forward. This report is for your records, and you do not need to submit this report to the SRA. However, you should keep it as a your record of confirmation. It may also be useful for you to use when applying for future roles and when considering additional learning needs. On receipt of the report from us, you should register the period of confirmed QWE on your MySRA account, including all relevant details extracted from the report. As QWE can be gained in up to four organisations, you will need to complete a separate MySRA registration for each separate organisation’s period of QWE you wish to register. You can use our confirming solicitor details against any organisational QWE signed off in their report. You should use the same dates for the period(s) of QWE you are registering that our confirming solicitor has included in their confirmation report, to avoid any delay in final confirmation. Our solicitor will then receive a request in their MySRA account to sign off your registered QWE which they will aim to do within 48 hours of receipt. We will notify you when they have done this. The SRA provides a useful video and guidance on how to register your QWE.
QWE confirmation service useful resources
SRA guidance on QWE
Definition of provision of legal services in Legal Services Act 2007
Payments and refunds
Does the QWE confirming service fee include VAT?
Yes, the fees for the service are inclusive of VAT.
Can my current employer pay for this service on my behalf?
Your current employer is welcome to make the payment on your behalf. Alternatively, you can make payment and use the payment portal receipt to claim back the cost from your employer.
Can I get a refund if my QWE is not suitable for confirmation by you?
At Step 1 in the process, following payment of Step 1 fees, you have a cooling off period during which you have the right to cancel and request a refund, if we have not completed Step 1 activities already. Once this 14-calendar day ‘cooling off’ period has ended, or Step 1 has been completed if sooner, you will not be able to request a refund. As Step 1 initiates the full confirmation process, payment for further steps constitutes your agreement to continue with the process and the right to request a refund for other steps in the process will be reduced to 48 hours following payment. In exceptional circumstances, we may consider refund requests beyond these periods on a case-by-case basis e.g. inability to contact a supervisor or suitable alternative as part of Step 2, leading to refund of Step 2b payment. The refund process is confirmed in our Terms and Conditions. Where a refund is made, this may take 5-7 working days to reach your account. Please note you are not eligible for a refund if the LawQWE team, during step 1, or our confirming solicitor, during step 2, decide that your work experience cannot be confirmed. However, you will be provided with guidance to explain your next steps.
Where can I find the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy?
Terms and conditions: https://www.lawqwe.com/terms-conditions Privacy policy: https://www.lawqwe.com/privacy-policy
Complaints
What if I disagree with the confirming solicitor's decision on my QWE record?
Our confirming solicitor follows a structured process for reviewing the content of your QWE record, discussing its contents with you and with your supervisor(s). They will provide you with recommendations or actions to enable you, as far as is possible, to rectify any issues blocking them from confirming your QWE. They will always aim to confirm QWE if they have received sufficient information. To help them, you must ensure that your QWE record shows how you meet some or all of the competencies in the SRA statement of solicitor competence. Be prepared to talk them through your QWE record and please seek clarification if you are not clear about what is being asked of you in any recommendations or actions, or why they have indicated they cannot confirm your QWE record. Our confirming solicitor knows that they are not assessing your competence to practice, nor are they making a judgement on the quality of your QWE or your suitability to be a solicitor. The SQE assessments and SRA itself will do that. However, our confirming solicitor will only confirm your QWE record if they are assured that you provided the legal services you have stated in your record, for the period stated in your record, that you developed at least two SRA competencies and that your QWE can be verified by your supervisor. In the event that they decide that your QWE record cannot be confirmed, you are within your rights to seek confirmation from another QWE confirmation service. Alternatively, if you disagree with the decision made by our confirming solicitor, you may submit a complaint which will be reviewed by the senior management team at LawQWE.
How do I submit a complaint?
If you have a complaint regarding the conduct or performance of our confirming solicitor, you can submit a formal complaint to the senior management team at LawQWE, providing full details of your concerns in writing to contact@lawqwe.com. We will review your complaint and respond within 10 working days following receipt of your written complaint.