Does your work count as QWE?
Answer the SRA’s own five questions, then one on who can confirm it. Two minutes, free, and nothing you answer is stored.
Built on the SRA’s rules, read on 3 October 2026. Who can confirm QWE
Does the role involve providing legal services?
Legal activity as section 12 of the Legal Services Act 2007 defines it: for example advising clients, drafting documents or running cases.
Six questions, about two minutes. Nothing you answer is stored.
The questions the checker asks
The first five are the SRA’s own. If you can answer yes to all of them, the SRA says the work is likely to be QWE. The last is regulation 2.2, on who can confirm it.
Does the role involve providing legal services?
Legal activity as section 12 of the Legal Services Act 2007 defines it: for example advising clients, drafting documents or running cases.
Is it real legal work, not simulated?
Moots, mock trials and simulated casework do not count. A law clinic or a law centre with real clients does.
Does it give you the chance to develop at least two of the SRA’s competences?
The Statement of Solicitor Competence covers ethics, professionalism and judgement; technical legal practice; working with other people; and managing yourself and your work.
Across all your QWE, how many organisations?
Count every organisation you want to use, this one included. Paid or voluntary, in England and Wales or overseas.
How much QWE do you have so far, full time or equivalent?
You need two years in total. You only have to register it by the time you apply for admission as a solicitor.
Where you did this work, is there a COLP or a solicitor of England and Wales?
Every SRA-regulated firm has a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP). The solicitor does not need a practising certificate, and can be one who has since left.
Sources: the SRA’s QWE guidance for candidates and regulation 2 of the Authorisation of Individuals Regulations.
QWE: common questions
Does my job count as QWE?
The SRA’s own test: if the role involves providing legal services, is real rather than simulated, gives you the chance to develop at least two of the competences for solicitors, comes from no more than four organisations in total, and adds up to two years full time or equivalent, it is likely to be QWE. The SRA does not rule on individual cases; the solicitor confirming your QWE decides.
Does paralegal or volunteer work count as QWE?
It can. QWE can be paid or voluntary, and can include paralegal work, a law clinic, a law centre, a charity, a placement during a degree or a training contract, as long as it involves real legal services.
Can work overseas or from years ago count?
Yes. QWE can be gained in England and Wales or overseas, and it does not need to cover the law of England and Wales. You can claim a past role, with no limit on how far back, as long as it counts as QWE and someone can still confirm it.
Who confirms my QWE if there is no solicitor where I worked?
If the organisation has no COLP and no solicitor, a solicitor of England and Wales outside it can confirm your QWE, after reviewing your work and getting feedback from your supervisor (SRA regulation 2.2). FQPS QWE validation does that, from £149.
Is the checker a decision on my QWE?
No. It asks the SRA’s own questions to show you where you stand. The SRA does not advise on individual cases, and the solicitor or COLP confirming your QWE decides. Nothing you answer is stored.