Flagship consulting service
SQE2 exemption advice
For lawyers already qualified in another jurisdiction, or otherwise eligible, who want to assess and prepare an SQE2 exemption application to the SRA.
If you are a qualified lawyer, you may not need to sit SQE2. The SRA can grant an exemption where your qualification and experience match the content and standard of the SQE2 assessment.
Working out whether you qualify, and evidencing it well, is where most applications succeed or fail. We help you assess your eligibility, map your qualification and experience against the SRA requirements, and assemble a clear, well-evidenced application.
How the process runs
Eligibility
Do your practice rights and experience make an application realistic?
Evidence
Map your experience to the SRA competence standard and gather proof.
Apply
Structure the application and its supporting documents.
The SRA decides
Not us. We cannot grant an exemption or guarantee an outcome.
What we do
- Assess whether you are likely eligible, on practice rights and experience, before you spend time and fees on an application.
- Check whether your jurisdiction or qualification already has an agreed exemption, or whether you need an individual assessment.
- Help you evidence that your skills meet the SRA day-one competence standard, including the advocacy and written-skills requirements.
- Prepare and structure the application and its supporting documents.
Honest limits
- The SRA decides exemptions, not us. We cannot grant an exemption or guarantee an outcome, and we do not control SRA timescales.
- Exemptions are only available to qualified lawyers, and cannot be granted for any assessment you have failed or are awaiting results for.
- If your matter needs a reserved legal activity or a regulated firm, we will tell you.
Common questions
- Who can apply for an SQE2 exemption?
- Exemptions are open to qualified lawyers. If what you hold is an academic degree rather than a professional qualification conferring rights to practise, this route is not open to you.
- Can you get me an exemption?
- No. The SRA decides exemptions. We assess whether an application is realistic, map your experience against what the SRA is looking for, and help you evidence it well. The decision is not ours and we do not guarantee an outcome.
- I failed SQE2. Can I apply for an exemption instead of resitting?
- No. An exemption cannot be granted for an assessment you have failed or are awaiting results for.
- Do I need an individual assessment, or is there an agreed route?
- It depends on your qualification and jurisdiction. Some are covered by an agreed exemption, where the comparison work is already done. Others are assessed individually and need a full evidence bundle. Checking which applies to you is the first thing we do.