From insurance apprentice to future trainee solicitor: how I passed SQE1 while working full-time

What’s your background, and why did you decide to do the SQE?

Unlike other students, I did not have a lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer and neither did I come from a family of lawyers. I fell in love with Law at A-levels, and after undertaking work experience, I realised I wanted to pursue a legal career. Upon finishing my A-level studies, I completed an apprenticeship in Project Management with WTW, a global insurance consulting firm. Although I was disheartened that I was not accepted for any legal apprenticeships, I did not give up on my passion for Law. In 2020, I was looking into legal careers with the institutions of the European Union and realised that I could not apply if I did not have a Law degree, so the next day I enrolled myself into the LLB Law (Hons) Distance Learning 3-year track with Nottingham Trent University. I completed my Law degree full-time while also maintaining my job as an Insurance Consultant at WTW, also full-time. In my 3rd year of university, I applied for the Future Lawyer of the Year Award sponsored by Clyde&Co through TargetJobs, and although I did not win, I was in the Top 10 Finalists. As a result, I was offered a training contract with Clyde&Co and was enrolled by the firm to study the SQE with The University of Law.

How did you prepare, and what made the biggest difference in your success?

Due to working 3-4 days in my role with WTW throughout my SQE course and exam, I had a strict revision timetable, mainly studying before work, after work, and on weekends as well. I aimed to complete 15 SBAQ practice questions every day and approximately 100 questions on my assigned study days. At first, I focused on completing all possible questions on the ULaw revision app and 1 month before the exam, I also did as many questions as possible from other providers such as Law Drills by Practice Works, Kinnu Law, the QLTS mock. These resources helped me with testing niche and difficult areas of law, making me feel more prepared for any surprises the SRA may throw on the exam day. Taking the ReviseSQE full practice papers 1 week before my exam was a useful and accurate tool to understand how prepared I was for the exam. The exam technique I used was firstly reading the question and 5 options available, then reading the scenario description. I found this to work well for me as I already knew what I was looking for in the scenario, which meant I only had to read it once and settle on an answer. When I was unsure or stuck between two options, I reviewed the phrasing to determine whether it was legally incorrect or inapplicable to the scenario.

What was the hardest part, and how did you push through it?

I found it very difficult to learn new content, keeping the blackletter law studied during the Undergraduate degree fresh in my mind, whilst also working in a professional industry, and completing the internal university exams plus preparing for the SRA exams. At a certain point in my experience, I suffered from burnout, which I overcame by allowing myself breaks and maintaining a social life by going out with my friends and family. Having a good sleeping pattern was also very important in order to be able to retain and apply the information.

If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

If I were to redo my SQE experience, I would take the time to read and understand every chapter of the SQE book and the Undergraduate subjects to address any uncertainties or questions I kept getting wrong. I would also try to take 2 months off work to only study rather than try to juggle everything. The SQE exam is very challenging, not only testing how good a lawyer you will be, it also tests your memory and physical stamina.