Free QWE record template

You and the placement

Your name and role, the organisation, the type of experience, your dates, work pattern and hours, and the total time in months and weeks.

Supervisor and confirming solicitor

Who supervises you, and the name, position and SRA number of the solicitor or COLP who will confirm your QWE.

Competence log, A to D

A table for each competence area, with a row for each competence: what I did, evidence, and supervisor comment.

Review meetings

A log of one-to-ones and appraisals: who you met, what you discussed, any gaps and what you will do next.

The SRA’s training template

• A Word document from the SRA, dated September 2021.
• The competences you need to develop, and how to show you have.
• What you need to know about the solicitor or COLP confirming your QWE.
• A training and recording aid only: you do not submit it.

The FQPS QWE record template

• Word and PDF from FQPS Academy, checked against the SRA’s pages.
• All eighteen competences, with their points in the SRA’s words.
• A filled-in example for each area, and the details mySRA asks for.
• A review meetings log. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, and not submitted either.

Ethics, professionalism and judgment

• A1 Act honestly and with integrity, in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements and the SRA Standards and Regulations
• A2 Maintain the level of competence and legal knowledge needed to practise effectively, taking into account changes in their role and/or practice context and developments in the law
• A3 Work within the limits of their competence and the supervision which they need
• A4 Draw on a sufficient detailed knowledge and understanding of their field(s) of work and role in order to practise effectively
• A5 Apply understanding, critical thinking and analysis to solve problems

Technical legal practice

• B1 Obtain relevant facts
• B2 Undertake legal research
• B3 Develop and advise on relevant options, strategies and solutions
• B4 Draft documents which are legally effective and accurately reflect the client’s instructions
• B5 Undertake effective spoken and written advocacy
• B6 Negotiate solutions to clients’ issues
• B7 Plan, manage and progress legal cases and transactions

Working with other people

• C1 Communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing
• C2 Establish and maintain effective and professional relations with clients
• C3 Establish and maintain effective and professional relations with other people

Managing themselves and their own work

• D1 Initiate, plan, prioritise and manage work activities and projects to ensure that they are completed efficiently, on time and to an appropriate standard, both in relation to their own work and work that they lead or supervise
• D2 Keep, use and maintain accurate, complete and clear records
• D3 Apply good business practice

Ethics, professionalism and judgment A1 A3

What I did: Ran the conflict check on a new debt claim and found the other side was a former client of the firm, which can raise a confidentiality issue. I stopped work on the file and raised it with my supervisor, who referred it to the compliance team before anything else was done. On another matter I said that a question about extending time for a defence was beyond what I knew, and sat in while my supervisor explained the rule.

Evidence: The conflict check record and my email raising the issue, with client names removed. My file note of the explanation about time limits.

Supervisor comment: Spotted the former-client issue and stopped work at once, which was the right call. Asks for help at the right time rather than guessing.

Technical legal practice B1 B4

What I did: Took first instructions by phone from a client in a dispute with a builder over defective work, using the team’s question checklist, and wrote up an attendance note the same day. Drafted the letter before claim from the firm’s precedent, adapted to the facts, for my supervisor to review and sign.

Evidence: The attendance note and my first draft of the letter before claim with my supervisor’s tracked changes, client details removed.

Supervisor comment: The attendance note picked up the key dates and the amount claimed. The letter needed only light edits to the remedy section.

Working with other people C1 C2

What I did: Gave clients regular updates by phone and email on the matters I worked on. Explained the small claims track timetable to a client in plain English, confirmed it in writing, and set out what would happen next and roughly when.

Evidence: Two client update emails I drafted, with details removed, and the team’s plain-English guide to the small claims track, which I revised.

Supervisor comment: Updates are clear, on time and pitched at the client. Good at setting realistic expectations about timescales.

Managing themselves and their own work D1 D2

What I did: Kept the team’s key dates diary for court deadlines and limitation dates, checked it every Monday and flagged anything due in the next fortnight. Saved and named documents on the case management system under the firm’s filing rules, and closed files in line with its retention policy.

Evidence: A screenshot of the key dates list with client names removed, and the file closing checklist I completed.

Supervisor comment: Reliable with deadlines, and files are always up to date. Next step: more of the case planning on simpler matters.

They may check the work matches the competence

The SRA suggests they can review your QWE template, diary or portfolio and check that what you describe relates to the competence you put it under.

They may check the details

Your dates, role and organisation, for example with your organisation’s HR team, and whether anything arose that raises a question about your character and suitability.

They may speak to your supervisor

Speaking to the people who supervised your work is one of the SRA’s suggestions. A solicitor from outside your organisation must get their feedback before confirming.