SQE2 Overview

The SQE2 assessment is the second and final stage of the SQE, specifically designed to evaluate whether you possess the practical legal skills necessary to practise competently as a solicitor. Unlike SQE1, which focuses on assessing functioning legal knowledge through multiple-choice questions, SQE2 moves beyond theory into application, requiring candidates to demonstrate that they can carry out everyday legal tasks to the standard expected of a newly qualified solicitor.

At the heart of SQE2 are six core legal skills: client interviewing and attendance note/legal analysis, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing, and legal drafting. Each of these skills is tested through realistic simulations that mirror the kinds of tasks solicitors routinely perform in practice. The interview and attendance note task, for instance, assesses your ability to communicate effectively with a client, elicit relevant facts, and then produce an accurate and legally sound written analysis. The advocacy assessment evaluates how well you can make oral submissions, demonstrating persuasion, structure, and command of legal arguments.

In the case and matter analysis tasks, you are expected to critically assess case materials and provide structured advice or recommendations, while legal research tasks test your ability to find relevant legal authorities and apply them correctly to the issues presented. Legal writing and drafting require clear, accurate, and professionally formatted written communications, either from scratch or by amending existing documents. These tasks ensure that you are not only legally competent, but also able to communicate with your client, colleague or a third party clearly and appropriately.

Although negotiation is not assessed as a standalone task, it is embedded within other skills assessments. Every sitting of SQE2 will include at least one task involving elements of negotiation. This may occur in the client interview and attendance note/legal analysis, the case and matter analysis, or in legal writing. This integrated approach reflects the way negotiation operates in real legal practice, not as a separate function, but as a skill interwoven with broader client advisory and communication duties.

SQE2 is not just a test of legal knowledge or even basic skill, but a holistic assessment of professional competence. It requires you to manage time, communicate effectively, identify and resolve legal and ethical issues, and act with integrity, all under realistic, timed conditions. Mastering these practical legal skills is a key step toward becoming a fully qualified solicitor.