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From September 2021 people wanting to qualify as a solicitor will need to do so through the SQE (Solicitors Qualifying Exam). Click here for a link for more information.
** One of our Aspiring Solicitor clients is believed to be the first person ever to have submitted and had approved their QWE by the SRA. April 2021 **
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) requires any Aspiring Solicitor who takes the SQE assessments (with the exception of foreign qualified lawyers) to complete two years full time equivalent of QWE (Qualifying Work Experience) before they can apply for admission. Listen here for a brief podcast explaining this:
For your experience to count when you submit evidence of your two years QWE to the SRA, it needs to have been ‘confirmed’ by a Solicitor or COLP. The Confirming Solicitor needs to be regulated by the SRA (currently on their roll; they do not need to have a current practising certificate).
The Confirming Solicitor needs to have seen the work. The SRA has produced a form which the Aspiring Solicitor can complete to assist in the review process (we call it the 'QWE Review Form). The form requires the Aspiring Solicitor to give examples of work done to show that they have had the opportunity to gain the competences required by the SRA and to state what evidence of it they will show the Confirming Solicitor.
Where the Aspiring Solicitor does not have someone in their organisation who is able and willing to act as their Confirming Solicitor, the Aspiring Solicitor may seek external assistance from a solicitor regulated by the SRA. As well as seeing the work, an external confirming solicitor also must gather feedback from the supervisor of the Aspiring Solicitor.
We offer to provide a remote QWE review & confirmation service through our principal consultant, Ingemar Hunnings, SRA No. 156976 –
Ingemar Hunnings has been closely liaising with the SRA following which he has developed a service to help Aspiring Solicitors in this situation. Ingemar has been helping Aspiring Solicitors in this role since September 2020. One of his Aspiring Solicitors is believed to be the first person ever to have submitted and had approved their QWE for approval by the SRA.
| £200/hr + VAT if applicable (we are willing to cap our fees at £800, to be raised only by mutual agreement) |
Some more info
Currently this work is carried out by Ingemar Hunnings, our lead consultant, who is a solicitor qualified in England & Wales in 1992. Here is a link to his details with the SRA: https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/register/person/?sraNumber=156976
Contact us: Ingemar: 07887 524507 or [email protected]
The Process of Confirming QWE
How does this service work:
Link to a video: https://youtu.be/p9r7re-PZgc
1. We will first organise a free no-obligations Zoom call with the Aspiring Solicitor to talk through the process and our charges. If it turns out there is a better option for the Aspiring Solicitor, we will advise them to take that instead of instructing him (eg there is someone in their organisation who could fulfil the role of Confirming Solicitor at no cost to the Aspiring Solicitor).
2. If the Aspiring Solicitor wishes to proceed, we will send out a Contract. The Contract covers standard terms of trading and contains a Confidentiality Agreement. We will advise the Aspiring Solicitor to speak with their supervisor and gain their agreement and obtain an NDA for Ingemar to sign, as the organisation will want to be assured that any evidence shown to him by the Aspiring Solicitor will be held in complete confidence. An Order will also be sent out for the work to be done. This scopes the job.
3. After the Contact, Order and any NDA are signed and returned, Ingemar will share with the Aspiring Solicitor the form (we call it the QWE Review Form) for the Aspiring Solicitor to complete with examples of the work done against the SRA competencies (Ingemar will have given guidance at point 1 on how to fill this in) and schedule a Zoom call to go through this once completed by the Aspiring Solicitor.
4. A Zoom call to go through with the Aspiring Solicitor their completed SRA form will be carried out during which Ingemar will remote to the Aspiring Solicitor’s computer. The Aspiring Solicitor can then show Ingemar the evidence they have in support of their examples of work meeting the SRA competencies criteria. (Please note that we do not want this evidence sent to us to be held on our machines - for data protection reasons.) Ingemar will advise where what is written could be improved, and where evidence is needed or could be improved. There may need to be another Zoom call depending on this.
5. Once Ingemar is satisfied with the evidence presented to him, he will sign it and send back a copy to the Aspiring Solicitor. This is the Aspiring Solicitor’s evidence should the SRA do a spot check. It may be that the Aspiring Solicitor does not already have two years QWE to be signed off at the time of the Zoom call. They can agree with Ingemar when the remainder of the QWE can be reviewed (see the process above) and signed off.
6. In addition, the SRA require that feedback be obtained from the Aspiring Solicitor's supervisor. We will therefore need to organise a Zoom or phone call with the Aspiring Solicitor’s supervisor for a discussion about their work and conduct. We will write up the notes and send them to the supervisor for approval, signature and return. Ingemar will then sign the notes and send the signed copy to the Aspiring Solicitor to hold as their evidence for the SRA. This should complete the SRA’s requirements for the QWE.
7. The Aspiring Solicitor will make a request through their MySRA profile with the SRA. (Here’s a link to guidance the SRA has given on how to do this.) The SRA will then contact Ingemar to separately to ask him to confirm he has reviewed the work and has 'received feedback from the person(s) supervising their work'. Once the SRA receive that confirmation from Ingemar they will inform the Aspiring Solicitor that it is accepted as their QWE.
(Here is a link to our YouTube channel. On there you will find many videos explaining about the SQE, QWE and applying for exemptions from the exams. Also full videos of webinars we have delivered with info about this & the Q&A session that follows the talk. If you think this might be helpful, might we invite you to subscribe so it reaches more people?)
Contact Us:
Ingemar: 07887 524507 or [email protected]
Testimonials
This is what a couple of clients have written in a Google My Business Review about this service:
Meriem Dijkstra
"A massive thank you to Ingemar and Hunnings Consultancy for the excellent service they provided. I needed an English lawyer to confirm my QWE and Ingemar helped me achieve it, he is very professional and friendly, he walked me through all the SRA requirements, checked and cross-checked all my legal professional details and then confirmed my QWE. I highly recommend the services of Hunnings consultancy."
and
"We have the benefit of Mr Ingemar Hunnings (of HCL) to carry out regular detailed reviews of the work as the external QWE monitor under the SQE regime. It is of significant importance to find a capable, professional and knowledgeable Solicitor who has been also a practising Law Firm Partner to help with this detailed task. Detailed reviews on a regular basis also provide guidance on points that are discussed within the review. It is not often that one comes across a Solicitor like Mr Hunnings."
