To become a lawyer in the UK, you first decide whether you want to be a solicitor or a barrister, then complete three stages: an academic qualification (usually a degree), a vocational stage (the Solicitors Qualifying Examination for solicitors or the Bar Practice Course for barristers), and a period of supervised practice (Qualifying Work Experience or pupillage). The whole process takes at least five to six years after secondary school. The route described here applies to England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal professions with different qualification systems.
Solicitor or Barrister: Choose the Profession First
England and Wales split the legal profession in two, and the choice shapes everything that follows. Solicitors do most day-to-day legal work: advising clients, drafting contracts, handling property transactions, wills, and business matters. Barristers focus on courtroom advocacy, specialist legal opinions, and representing clients at trial. Solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority; barristers by the Bar Standards Board.1Solicitors Regulation Authority. Memorandum of Understanding between The Bar Standards Board and Solicitors Regulation Authority
The academic stage is broadly shared. After that, the two paths diverge sharply in cost, structure, and competition.
Step 1: The Academic Stage
Both routes start with a degree. The traditional option is a Qualifying Law Degree, usually an LLB, from a recognised university, covering the standard foundation subjects of English law.2Solicitors Regulation Authority. Qualifying Law Degree Providers
If your degree is in another subject, you can take a one-year conversion course, most commonly the Graduate Diploma in Law. Fees vary by provider. Cardiff University, for example, lists £11,950 for home students and £24,700 for overseas students for 2026 entry.3Cardiff University. Graduate Diploma in Law
One important change: under the SQE, aspiring solicitors no longer need a QLD or GDL specifically. Any undergraduate degree (or equivalent qualification or work experience) satisfies the academic requirement.4Solicitors Regulation Authority. What Is the SQE? Aspiring barristers, and solicitors still finishing under the older Legal Practice Course route, do need the foundation subjects.
Step 2A: The Solicitor Route (SQE + QWE)
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination is now the standard path to becoming a solicitor in England and Wales, replacing the older Legal Practice Course with a single centralised assessment.4Solicitors Regulation Authority. What Is the SQE?
SQE1
SQE1 tests functioning legal knowledge across two closed-book papers, FLK1 and FLK2, using single-best-answer questions. Between them they cover business law, dispute resolution, contract, tort, the legal system of England and Wales, property practice, wills and estate administration, solicitors’ accounts, land law, trusts, and criminal law and practice. Ethics runs through both papers.5Legal Services Board. SQE1 Assessment Specification
SQE2
SQE2 tests practical skills through oral assessments (client interviewing and advocacy) and written assessments (case analysis, legal research, legal writing, and legal drafting). Negotiation may appear within any of these exercises rather than as a separate test.6Solicitors Regulation Authority. SQE2 Assessment Specification
From September 2025, assessment fees are £1,934 for SQE1 and £2,974 for SQE2, totalling £4,908.7Solicitors Regulation Authority. How Much Does the SQE Cost? Most candidates also pay for a preparation course on top of that.
Qualifying Work Experience
Alongside the exams, you need two years of full-time qualifying work experience, which can be split across up to four different organisations.8Solicitors Regulation Authority. Qualifying Work Experience The work must involve providing real legal services, not administrative support. Law firms, in-house teams, legal aid organisations, and pro bono clinics all count, provided the role lets you develop solicitor-level skills. This is a deliberate move away from the old training contract model, where you had to be taken on by a single firm.
If You Started Under the LPC
Candidates already in the older Legal Practice Course system can still qualify that way, but the final deadline to apply for admission via the LPC is 31 December 2032. After that date, the SQE is the only route.9Solicitors Regulation Authority. Becoming a Solicitor with the Legal Practice Course – Transitional Requirements
Step 2B: The Solicitor Apprenticeship (No Degree Required)
You do not need a university degree to become a solicitor. The solicitor apprenticeship combines paid employment with legal training over five to six years and leads to a Level 7 qualification, equivalent to a master’s. Recommended entry requirements are five GCSEs at grade C or above (including maths and English) and three A Levels at grade C or above.10Solicitors Regulation Authority. Solicitor Apprenticeships
The employer covers training costs, and apprentices sit the same SQE assessments as everyone else. A shorter graduate apprenticeship of two to three years exists for candidates who already hold a degree.10Solicitors Regulation Authority. Solicitor Apprenticeships Places are limited and depend on which employers run schemes in a given year, so competition is strong.
Step 2C: The Barrister Route
Join an Inn of Court
Every aspiring barrister must join one of the four Inns of Court (Lincoln’s Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple, or Gray’s Inn) before starting the Bar Practice Course.11Bar Council. Inns of Court Events and Schemes The Inns provide mentoring, dining events with a minimum attendance requirement, and educational programmes. They also collectively award up to £6 million in scholarships each year covering conversion course fees, Bar course tuition, and pupillage-stage costs.12Bar Council. Funding and Scholarships
The Bar Practice Course
The Bar Practice Course is the vocational stage, focused on advocacy, drafting, client conferencing, and opinion writing through intensive mock exercises.13The University of Law. Bar Practice Course Entry requires a QLD at 2:2 or above, or a non-law degree plus a conversion course. Tuition varies significantly by provider: the ICCA Bar Course sits at the lower end at roughly £13,000 total, while London courses at the University of Law or BPP run between £16,000 and £20,000. Regional campuses tend to be cheaper.
Pupillage
After passing the Bar course, you complete pupillage: a twelve-month apprenticeship under an experienced barrister. The first six months are non-practising (shadowing, drafting, research). In the second six months, you can accept instructions and appear in court under supervision.14Bar Standards Board. Pupillage / Work-Based Learning Component of Bar Training
From 1 January 2026, the minimum pupillage award is £25,863 for twelve-month pupillages in London and £23,504 outside London. The floor applies regardless of when the pupillage began, and monthly payments must be adjusted each January.15Bar Standards Board. Bar Standards Board Announces Minimum Pupillage Award from 1 January 2026 Vacancies are listed on the Pupillage Gateway, the BSB’s centralised application portal.16Bar Council. Pupillage Gateway – Information for Applicants Competition is intense.
What It All Costs, and Where to Find Help
For solicitors, SQE assessment fees are £4,908.7Solicitors Regulation Authority. How Much Does the SQE Cost? SQE preparation courses run from around £3,400 for a basic online programme to well over £10,000 for a comprehensive taught course. For barristers, BPC tuition ranges from roughly £12,000 to £20,000.
The Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme covers the full cost of SQE preparation and assessment fees for candidates from less advantaged backgrounds. Eligibility is limited to applicants with household income below £25,000 (£28,000 in London), who hold or expect at least a 2:2 degree, and who live in England or Wales with the right to work and study there. The 2026 round closes on 1 April 2026.17The Law Society. Diversity Access Scheme
For barristers, Inn scholarships are the main funding source. Apply before you start the Bar course, even if you think your chances are slim.12Bar Council. Funding and Scholarships
Character and Suitability
Both regulators assess your background before admitting you. The SRA reviews criminal convictions, financial issues such as bankruptcy or county court judgments, and any prior disciplinary matters. Nothing is automatically disqualifying. The SRA weighs the seriousness of the issue, how long ago it happened, and what you have done since. Full disclosure matters: failing to declare something is usually treated more harshly than the underlying issue.
You will need a criminal record check. Candidates with records outside the UK should budget extra time. The SRA aims to decide straightforward applications within 30 days, but a character or suitability concern can stretch that to six months.18Solicitors Regulation Authority. Admission FAQs The BSB applies a similar assessment for barristers.
Final Admission
Solicitors: Getting on the Roll
Once you pass both SQE stages, complete your QWE, and clear character screening, you apply for admission through your mySRA account. The admission fee is £100.19Solicitors Regulation Authority. Admission to the Roll of Solicitors and Related Fees Applications can be submitted on any business day, and the SRA aims to process them within 30 days.20Solicitors Regulation Authority. Admission Dates
Admission puts you on the Roll of Solicitors and makes you a member of the Law Society automatically.21The Law Society. Joining the Law Society Being on the roll is not the same as being able to practise. To practise, you also need an annual practising certificate, currently £326 plus a £70 contribution to the compensation fund.22Solicitors Regulation Authority. Fee Calculator 2025/26
Barristers: Call to the Bar
Barristers are admitted through a ceremony called the Call to the Bar, held at their Inn of Court. This is the point at which a student becomes a barrister and can use the title. Call takes place at various points during the year, and your Inn coordinates the timing once you have completed all requirements. Even after Call, you still need to finish pupillage before practising independently.
If You Are Already Qualified Abroad
Lawyers already qualified outside England and Wales use a streamlined SRA route. You still take SQE1, but you may be exempt from SQE2 if your existing qualifications and experience cover the same practical skills. The SRA includes the United States (all states) among the jurisdictions it will consider for an SQE2 exemption.23Solicitors Regulation Authority. SQE Exemptions
If you get an SQE2 exemption, you must show English or Welsh language proficiency before admission. The bar is high: IELTS Academic (UKVI) 7.5 overall, or equivalent (Pearson PTE Academic UKVI 78 overall, LanguageCert Academic SELT 80 overall). The certificate must be dated within three years of your admission application. If your original legal qualification was assessed in English, that can satisfy the requirement without a separate test.24Solicitors Regulation Authority. English or Welsh Language Proficiency