Our Reddit Roundup is dedicated to answering the most frequently asked questions on the platform. This month, we help students looking to apply for an undergraduate degree and share ideas on how you can enhance your legal applications.
Written by Grant Longstaff. Published 28 February 2025.
This month our questions are:
- What is the SQE Plus at The University of Law?
- I studied law outside of the UK. Will a master’s in law conversion course cover the key legal practice areas to become a solicitor?
What is the SQE Plus at The University of Law?
We offer a range of SQE courses, and each one is designed to accommodate the varying levels of legal knowledge, qualifications and experience our students may have. The SQE is broken down into two assessments – referred to as SQE1 and SQE2 – and the majority of our SQE courses will cover either one or both parts of the examinations.
However, our LLM Legal Practice (SQE1&2) will not only prepare you ahead of sitting both the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments, it also provides students with the option of our SQE Plus programme.
The SQE Plus reflects the elective nature of the Legal Practice Course (LPC), giving students an opportunity to choose modules covering key practice areas which could be more relevant to your future career. We’ve also designed the programme in partnership with law firms, so you’re as prepared as possible to tackle real world legal scenarios.
The SQE Plus covers black letter law in different practice areas and material related to professional practice. You’ll have the opportunity to choose three modules covering the key practice areas of commercial, corporate and private client law.
Corporate and commercial modules
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Debt Finance
- Equity and capital markets
- Advanced Dispute Resolution
- Advanced Real Estate
- Commercial and International Trade
- Competition
- Employment
- Intellectual Property
Commercial and Private Client modules
- Advanced Dispute Resolution
- Advanced Real Estate
- Commercial and International Trade
- Competition
- Employment
- Intellectual Property
- Advanced Criminal Practice
- Family
- Immigration
- Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence
- Private Wealth
Preparation for Practice
The SQE plus also includes a compulsory module, Preparation for Practice, which will focus on commercial awareness. Finally, you’ll have a choice of one of the following two modules:
- Business of Law
- Professional Practice Report
You can find out more about our SQE Plus on our YouTube channel.
I studied law outside of the UK. Will a master’s in law conversion course cover the key legal practice areas needed to become a solicitor?
On the surface, answering the question posed is fairly simple. Yes, our MA Law (Conversion) course will cover many of the key practice areas you’ll need to be familiar with before sitting the SQE and becoming a solicitor. However, there is a little more nuance to the process and, depending on your circumstances, qualifications and experience, you may not need to study a conversion course.
We’re often asked how students with an international law qualification might qualify to practice law in the UK. The process, and ultimately what course you need to complete, will be unique to each situation.
To become a solicitor in England and Wales you’ll need to complete the SQE. To sit the SQE you’ll need a degree in any subject, or an equivalent qualification or experience. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) state overseas qualifications must:
- Be shown to be equivalent to either a UK degree/equivalent qualification, or;
- Be an accredited qualification at level 6 (or above) of the European Qualifications Framework.
The SRA can check your degree or equivalent level 6 qualification is suitable when you apply for admission. You can find a more comprehensive guide to qualifying as a solicitor on the SRA website.
If your current qualifications are considered equivalent to UK qualifications, you could arguably look to complete the SQE without the need to pursue a conversion course. That said, choosing to study a conversion course – or another of our postgraduate law qualifications – could help you better prepare for practising law in the UK.
The best advice we can offer is to first figure out how your current qualifications are recognised by the SRA. From there, you can then explore course options and content, and choose the one which best suits your situation.
Find out more about becoming a solicitor on our Career Finder pages.
