b'Local Government Lawyer 21Changing courseWith councils struggling to recruit qualified lawyers, could the new route to qualification- the Solicitors Qualifying Examination- offer a reliable source of fresh blood for local government? Adam Carey reports.One of the more troubling figures in the latestqualified lawyer positions.Understanding the SQE Legal Department of the Future ManagementIn those cases, councils have used budgetThe SQE is currently running in tandem with Survey revealed that 93% of respondentson training a lawyer up, only to lose them asthe old Legal Practice Course (LPC) route and either found it very difficult or difficult to hiresoon as they qualify.is set to completely replace the LPC in 2032.good lawyers. Some see the SQE, which was launchedHowever, the Solicitors Regulation Perhaps even more concerning, 44% ofin September 2021, as an avenue for trainingAuthority (SRA) expects most LPC courses to respondents went on to report that theylawyers up without wasting budget.come to an end over the next few years and believe the recruitment landscape is set to getA fundamental part of the new programmeis already reporting a shift towards the SQE harder, and no one said they believed hiringis its earn as you learn approach, whichroute in their admission figures.talent would get any easier.allows trainees to work as legal assistantsThe latest data from the SRApublished in Unsurprisingly, public sector pay isor paralegals within their respective legalDecember 2024recorded a significant rise blamed heavily for recruitment woes, butdepartments as they study to pass the exams. in admissions via the SQE route from 437 in a lack of succession planning also featuredIt is this aspect of the route that allows2021/22 to 1,469 in 2022/23, making up for in respondents comments, with one headcouncil legal departments to save money onaround 25% of all admissions in 2023.of legal complaining that there were nottraining, as it means that legal professionalsSQE candidates must pass two assessments enough trainees and junior lawyers enteringcan train to qualify while also producing usefulknown as the SQE1 and SQE2 and completelocal government. work for their legal department.at least two years of qualifying work In response to these difficulties, manyAs a result, extra budget is not neededexperienceeither before, during or after councils are looking for new solutions toto take on a trainee, and the council can bepassing their assessmentsto qualify. address the shortage of competent lawyers.assured that the trainee will be productiveSQE1 is a two-part exam that tests practical For some, the answer is the Solicitorsmembers of the team during their traininglegal knowledge, while SQE2 is a single Qualifying Examination (SQE), which variousperiod.assessment that tests practical legal skills.councils have seized on as a cost-effectiveA degree or equivalent qualification is means of bringing new talent into theirCase study: Coventry City Councilsrequired to apply to the programme.organisations.grow your own initiative Law graduates who go on to pursue the Coventry City Council is among a numberSQE can qualify as a solicitor in five to six The SQE solution of councils to have thrown itself into anyears, while non-law graduates could take five One of the main gripes with the traditionalambitious training programme, which hasto seven years to graduate via the SQE route.training contract route among localseen the legal department hire eight graduateMany SQE candidates are funded via government legal departments is that oftentrainee apprentices to complete the SQE.the Governments graduate apprenticeship times trainees have no option but to leaveThe eight positions are categorised asprogramme, which offers funding to the council after qualifying due to a lack ofpart of the Governments Level 7 Solicitoremployers looking to train professionals.'