Some call for resits, others say rescinding TCs is the right call
After revealing that some City law firms are withdrawing training contract offers from students who have not passed the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), Legal Cheek posed a question to law student following: How should law firms treat students who fail these demanding exams?
Taking aim at those firms who cut ties, one student told us that “too often, law firms apply one rule to everyone as a way of ostensibly making the fairest decisions but equality doesn’t necessarily result in equity”. They went on to suggest that firms “deal with failures on a case-by-case basis and consider personal background, circumstances, attributes, and other factors”.
Others also noted that “failing one exam (even in the absence of mitigating circumstances) does not [necessarily] indicate poor performance”.
Another commenter emphasised the “key role” that law firms have “in supporting trainees through the SQE:
“Long-term, fostering a culture of continuous learning, flexible work arrangements, and mentoring can transform setbacks into growth opportunities. Encouraging resilience and adaptability not only helps trainees rebound but also strengthens the firm’s reputation as a nurturing and progressive environment.”
However, several commenters came to the defence of firms that have decided to part ways with TC holders who failed to pass the SQE on their first attempt. “Securing a TC is highly competitive,” one student wrote, “and many capable individuals who pass the SQE on their first attempt never obtain one. Clearly, they didn’t deserve it.”
Another claimed that the “SQE pass rate is already high enough” and “is a minimum criterion, not a particularly notable achievement”. Other students suggested firms could “level the playing field” by only accepting TC applications from those who have already passed the exams, while others repeated their calls to scrap the SQE altogether.
Following news of training contract offers being rescinded, the chair of the City of London Law Society’s training committee, Patrick McCann, repeated his call for law firms to adopt a more supportive approach towards aspiring lawyers sitting the “extremely challenging” exam.
McCann told Legal Cheek, “I’d urge all law firms to engage with their future talent who need to retake their first attempt at SQE1″. He added that, “SQE1 is an extremely challenging assessment, testing against NQ knowledge criteria (with most sponsored students undergoing the assessment more than two years before solicitor qualification), with a pass rate only just above 50%, very significantly below the pass rates for LPC, which SQE replaces.”
How do you think firms should treat those that fail the SQE? Give us your thoughts in the comments below 👇