Introduction

What would it take for me to qualify for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)? Do I have to go to the United Kingdom and start figuring this out from scratch?

I have a degree and license to practice from India. I do not think I am eligible for the SQE. It is only for lawyers who are based out of England & Wales.

I am a first-generation lawyer and have practised in various courts within India. I’ve hit a plateau and do not know how to grow my practice further.

I think the SQE requires a superior degree of knowledge and acumen and it is not my cup of tea.

I want to set up a base in the UK and look forward to practising in the UK. But I do not know how to do it.

I think I am too young to start preparing for the SQE.

I have a license to practice law in India and I want to certainly clear the SQE in my first attempt. I have heard that it is a very difficult examination for a lawyer who has not practised in England & Wales.

I think clearing the SQE will help me with my clientele even if I want to continue practising in India.

I have clients who are based out of the UK. I want to be able to file cases for them.

If these questions come to your mind or resonate with you, you are at the right place.

We have solutions to all these questions. This is India’s one and only course where we prepare lawyers for the SQE.

The best part about our course is that you get an entire team to work with you for your success.

You get to put to use all your strengths only if you know how and where to use them.

Even if you have never read laws pertaining to the UK, our experts will guide you through it and provide an anecdotal experience of the exam itself.

We will ensure that you are equipped with enough skills through regular mocks, essay writing and other sessions to appear for the examination.

Things you would want to learn before attempting the exam

How to fulfil eligibility conditions for SQE?
How to approach the examination and balance time between your practice and examination?
Sound knowledge of what works and what does not
Ability to analyse the past year question papers and do a trend analysis
Ability to write clear and concise analytical answers
Ability to pass the simulation and practical examination aspects of the exam

Who should take this course?

Anybody who has (or is currently studying) an undergraduate degree or graduate diploma in any subject (not necessarily a law degree) or equivalent degree, and wishes to qualify as a solicitor of England & Wales is allowed to sit for the SQE exam.
Qualified professionals with work experience as a legal practitioner in their home jurisdiction.

About the Examination & Examination Pattern

Overview

In early 2021, the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) of the UK decided to completely change the assessment pattern for aspiring lawyers who wished to qualify as a solicitor in England & Wales. All aspiring applicants after September 2021, will sit for the same examination.

Previously, the qualification route to becoming a solicitor in England & Wales was different for UK lawyers and foreign lawyers. With the introduction of SQE, all lawyers irrespective of jurisdiction, background and designation will only be giving one exam, i.e. the SQE. This means all aspiring solicitors, including UK university law graduates, non-graduates, apprentices, legal executives, paralegals, and qualified foreign lawyers, will sit the SQE exam.

This change to the qualification route has been introduced by the SRA so that all solicitors of England & Wales meet the same high standards in a consistent way.

Exam Format

The SQE will be divided into 2 stages, the first stage must be passed before moving on to the second stage.

SQE 1 - Functioning Legal Knowledge assessment. Functioning Legal Knowledge is further divided into two exams - FLK 1 and FLK 2, which takes place over 2 days.

FLK includes the subject areas listed below. It is assessed by single best answer multiple-choice questions over a two-day period. Ethics and Professional Conduct will be examined across FLK1 and FLK2.

FLK1 broadly covers:

Business Law and Practice
Dispute Resolution
Contract
Tort
Legal System of England and Wales
Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law
Legal Services

FLK2 broadly covers:

Property Practice
Wills and the Administration of Estates
Solicitors Accounts
Land Law
Trusts
Criminal Law
Criminal Practice

Principles of taxation will be examined only in the context of:

Business Law and Practice
Property Law and Practice
Wills and the Administration of Estates

Ethical and Professional Conduct forms part of the both FLKs.

In order to pass SQE1, you must achieve the overall pass mark for both FLK1 and FLK2. You will not pass SQE1 if you fail either FLK1 or FLK2.

All aspects of the SQE1 assessment are compulsory.

SQE 2 - Practical legal skills assessment

The assessment topics for SQE2 are listed below. The assessment is taken over five days and involves a combination of written and oral-based tasks. Ethics and professional conduct are assessed throughout.

Please check our Landing page for further information on SQE 2.

Career options after qualifying as a solicitor in England & Wales

Once you pass the SQE and are admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales, you can work:

As an in-house counsel in an organisation taking care of all their legal needs;
In private practice. This would include working in private law firms also that look after the legal needs of multiple clients;
As a sole practitioner, setting up your own practice as a principal solicitor; and
As law professors at a law school or university.

Areas in which we will help you to develop knowledge and skills

Trends analysis of Past Year Paper
Time Management
How to approach SQE 1

Paperwork to be submitted

Complete the online registration process for SQE assessment on the Solicitors Regulatory Authority website.

Exam Fees

The total candidate fee for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is £4,790.

SQE1 - £1,888 (£944 for FLK1 and £944 for FLK2)
SSQE2 - £2,902

All fees are VAT exempt.

Note - The above fees apply to assessments taken up to September 2025. Fees for assessments from September 2025 are:

SQE1 - £1,934 (£967 for FLK1 and £967 for FLK2)
SQE2 - SQE2 - £2,974

Training Methodology

Online 24/7 access

Access to basic study material through an online learning management system, Android and iOS app

MonthlyTime-table for self study and Practice Test

The monthly time-table helps you in completing your syllabus in time and there will be weekly mocks on what you have learned in the week. Also there will be 5 full length mocks on each subject so that you can self-evaluate yourself after completing a subject.

Live Online Sessions/Class

Based on the divisions of the Syllabus there will be a live video based online class. You can ask questions, share your personal feedback in this class.

Convenient Class timings

Classes are held after regular working hours quadraple in a week. Typically classes are kept on i.e. Thursday, Friday & Saturday after working hours and Sunday afternoon.

Live Doubt Clearing

You can ask questions, get your doubt cleared live as well as through online forums

SQE 1 Assessment Syllabus

SQE 1

What is the purpose and intention of the first stage of assessment?

The questions in SQE1 are designed to test the application of fundamental legal rules and principles at the level required of a competent newly qualified solicitor. They are not designed to test specialist practice which is unlikely to be encountered at the level of a Day One Solicitor. Questions assess central areas that are clearly covered by the FLK.

What is Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK)?

The depth and breadth of knowledge of English and Welsh law required of candidates is that of functioning legal knowledge. This means that candidates must apply their knowledge of the law to demonstrate the competencies required to the level of a newly qualified solicitor of England and Wales. The questions in the assessments are designed to test the application of fundamental legal principles which can be expected of a newly qualified solicitor of England and Wales without reference to books and notes. They are not designed to test matters of detail that a newly qualified solicitor would be expected to look up.

Candidates will be tested on the law as it stands at the date of the assessment. They will not be assessed on the development of the law. Throughout the assessment, candidates must demonstrate their ability to act honestly and with integrity and in accordance with the Statement of Solicitor Competence, the Solicitors Regulatory Authority Principles and the Code of Conduct.

Syllabus

The SQE 1 examination comprises of 360 objective based questions including FLK 1 (180 MCQs divided into 2 exams each of 90 MCQs) and FLK 2 (180 MCQs divided into 2 exams, each of 90 MCQs). The examination is conducted on two separate days. On each day, there are two sessions of 2 hours 33 minutes each with 90 multiple-choice questions, with a 60 minute break. Exam is held in a Pearson VUE test center, in India we can find these centers at: Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Calcutta, Chennain, Chandigarh, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Mumbai, New Delhi, Patna, Pune, and Ranchi.

Paper	Syllabus	Number of MCQs
FLK 1	Business Law and Practice Dispute Resolution Contract Tort Legal System of England and Wales Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law Legal Services Ethics and Professional Conduct	180
FLK 2	Property Practice Wills and the Administration of Estates Solicitors Accounts Land Law Trusts Criminal Law Criminal Practice Ethics and Professional Conduct	180

SQE 2 - Legal skills assessment

SQE 2 is divided into 2 parts i.e. Writing assessment and Oral assessment.

SQE 2 Written assessment takes place in a Pearson VUE test center, like the SQE 1.

SQE 2 Oral assessment takes place at ‘Oral assessment center’ either in London, Manchester, Birmingham or Cardiff.

For more details check our Landing page on SQE 2.

Examination Timeline

Assessment

Dates

Booking opening

Booking close

First day of assessment window

Examinable law and practice cut off date (up to and including)

Results date

January 2025

FLK 1: 13-17 January

FLK 2: 20-24 January

1 October 2024

5 pm 14 November

13 January 2025

13 September 2024

11 March 2025

July 2025

FLK 1: 14-18 July

FLK 2: 21-25 July

TBC

14 July 2025

14 March 2025

10 September 2025

* TBC - to be confirmed
* The time mentioned is as per GMT (standard time zone in Ireland and the United Kingdom)

What Is Unique About This Course

Personal guidance: Every candidate will be given personal attention for the preparation on their examination. This is not like a coaching center with hundreds of students in a batch, where teachers don't know your name or your dreams.
Top-notch content: Exhaustive notes will be provided to the students so that they don’t have to purchase any other book or reading material after taking this course.
A unique presentation of the content: Content will be presented in a color-coded format to help you to figure out important keywords and sentences. While revising, it will be easier to find out case laws, maxims, and important points related to every topic.
Speed reading friendly content: Our content is specially designed with the help of experts to help you to read it at a much faster speed as compared to any other content.
Smart study techniques: Every candidate will be guided about how much to study on which topic according to the importance of the topic in the examination.
Special tools to make learning faster and easier: Flow charts, Videos Lectures, Mind Maps, and much more. All these unique techniques which help in learning things in a faster and better way.
Live session: Live online sessions will be conducted to discuss various important concepts with the questions as per the examination question pattern. This will help you to handle the questions at the time of examination.
Bank of MCQs: A bank of MCQs will be provided on every topic so that you can practice and play with them as much as you can for your preparation.
Regular tests: There will be weekly mocks provided to you for revision purpose.
Self-paced: You can use reference material provided by us and prepare at your speed. There is no compulsion to attend sessions on every concept to understand it.
Solutions to queries through various platforms: You can ask your queries to our mentors, experts, evaluators, and support team on various platforms like our Learning management system (LMS), WhatsApp groups, emails, calls, and in live sessions.
Experts: The live sessions will be conducted by the QLTS and SQE qualified experts and trained educators.
Time management: Personalized time management sessions will be conducted to balance your work and study.
Actionables and Deliverables will be provided so you can come prepared in the class and can and what you have to do after the class.
Time-Table - Monthly schedule for assisting your preparation.

What Will You Learn

Understand and adopt the technique of ‘Divide and Learn’ along with the skill of ‘What to Learn and What to Leave.’
Exhaustively cover the relevant syllabus, specifically from an examination point of view.
Relevant and recent case laws on all subjects from the examination point.
To manage your time effectively during the examination.
Techniques to teach and research for the practical implementation of theory after cracking the examination.

Faculty

ARPANA SACHDEVA

Principal Associate at SkillArbitrage (Course Anchor - Solicitors Qualifying Examination) and Academician with 11 Years of experience combining Litigation and Teaching.

ANJALA PARVEEN

Anjala graduated in B.A. LLB (Hons.) from the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi, in the year 2015. She enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Maharashtra & Goa in August 2015 and obtained her Certificate of Practice from the All India Bar Council in 2017. Currently, Anjala resides in Singapore and works remotely for Vidhii Partners, Advocates, in Mumbai. She is also a legal consultant to an Insolvency Professional registered with IBBI. After successfully giving the S

Ujjwal Sharma

Ujjwal holds an LL.M. from King’s College London in International Dispute Resolution and IP, and a first-class honours in BA LLB from O.P. Jindal Global University, India. His passion lies in Trade Mark Law, Dispute Resolution and Litigation. He also recently gained CITMA certification as a qualified Trade Mark Paralegal. He cleared his SQE-1 exam in January 2024.

Prem Deep Arora

Prem is a Senior Associate at LawSikho and the sub-course anchor for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) course. He holds an LL.M. and a first-class honours in BA LLB from Amity Law School, Noida. He is experienced in legal research, creating legal content and teaching.

Note: This is an indicative list of our guest faculty members and not an exhaustive list. We may change the faculty members at any point based on availability.

Guest Lecture

KAREN REA

Karen has been a Barrister for 40 years and presently she works with various healthcare and financial sector Regulators in the capacity of a Legal Adviser/Assessor to Panels/Committees sitting in thei

VATSAL M. PARIKH

Mr. Vatsal M. Parikh is a member of the International Bar Association and several elite International Arbitration Institutions. He is currently working as a Paralegal in the Financial Conduct Authorit

Pranav Bhanot

Pranav Bhanot is the founding partner of WYN Legal, a digital law firm dedicated to resolving legal disputes through access to our on-demand and cost-effective litigators. Having trained at a firm in

Solicitor Qualifying Exam (SQE): Success Stories

A law lecturer and experienced legal professional with over seven years in the field, Arsha joined the July 2023 batch of the Crack the Solicitors Qualifying Exam course. With her SQE 1 cleared in January 2025, Arsha is now progressing toward qualification in England and Wales, having applied for an SQE 2 exemption with the support of LawSikho. (Profile)

Arsha Dharmapalan

Lecturer and Experienced Legal Professional

Ramana, a Litigation & Dispute Resolution lawyer based in Mumbai, successfully cleared the SQE 1 in January 2025. He enrolled in the December 2022 batch of the Crack the Solicitors Qualifying Exam course. With LawSikho’s assistance, he secured an SQE 2 exemption in December 2024 and was formally admitted as a solicitor in March 2025 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. (Profile)

Ramana Deshkumh

Litigation & Dispute Resolution lawyer

Sushil is from the July 2022 batch of the Crack Solicitor Qualifying Exam course. He is a partner at Tatavarty Law Chambers. He leads a team of advocates who specialise in patient advocacy and health care law. He has more than 8 years of experience representing and empowering patients who face discrimination, negligence, or malpractice in the healthcare system. He cleared SQE 1 in July 2023 and enrolled as a Solicitor of England and Wales in February 2024.

Sushil Shankar

Partner at Tatavarty Law Chambers

Amal is from the July 2022 batch of the Crack Solicitor Qualifying Exam course.
He is an independent practitioner in Kerala High Court and District Courts. He cleared SQE 1 in January 2024 and got an exemption from SQE 2 in October 2023.

Amal George

Independent practitioner in Kerala High Court and District Courts

Dhwani is from the July 2023 batch of the Crack Solicitor Qualifying Exam course. She cleared SQE 1 in January 2024 and got an exemption from SQE 2 in December 2023

Dhwani Shah

Student

Tusar is from the July 2022 batch of Crack Solicitor Qualifying Exam course.He cleared SQE 1 in January 2024, and got an exemption from SQE 2 in March 2024. He is now preparing for NCA with LawSikho.

Tusar Swain

Student

Parmeet Singh is from the November 2023 batch of Crack Solicitor Qualifying Exam course.He cleared SQE 1 in January 2024, and is applying for SQE 2 exemption with LawSikho’s assistance.

Parmeet Singh

Student

Dhwani is from the July 2023 batch of the Crack the Solicitor Qualifying Exam course. She cleared her SQE 1 in July 2024 and has applied for SQE 2 exemption with LawSikho’s assistance. She is a self-practicing lawyer working in Mumbai.

Dhwani Shah

Student

Prajwala is from the March 2024 batch of the Crack the Solicitors Qualifying Exam course. She cleared her SQE 1 in July 2024 and got an exemption from SQE 2 in October 2024. She is currently living in the UK and working as a General Commercial and DPO at eMed Healthcare.

Prajwala K.H. Lagali

Student

Ridima is from the July 2024 Batch of the Crack the Solicitors Qualifying Exam course. She cleared her SQE 1 in July 2024 and has recently graduated her 5-year law degree from Jindal Global Law School. Currently, she is working as an associate at Saraf and Partners on their M&A team at the Noida office.

Ridima Gupta

Associate at Saraf and Partners

Course Syllabus

FLK 1

Business organisations, rules and procedures

(Excluding the Listing, Prospectus, Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and any other FCA, London Stock Exchange, market rules or codes)

Business and organisational characteristics (sole trader/partnership/LLP/private and unlisted public companies).

Legal personality and limited liability.

Procedures and documentation required to incorporate a company/form a partnership/LLP and other steps required under companies and partnerships legislation to enable the entity to commence operating:

Constitutional documents
Companies House filing requirements.

Finance:

funding options: debt and equity
types of security
distribution of profits and gains
financial records, information and accounting requirements.

Corporate governance and compliance:

rights, duties and powers of directors and shareholders of companies
company decision-making and meetings: procedural, disclosure and approval requirements
documentary, record-keeping, statutory filing and disclosure requirements
appointment and removal of directors
minority shareholder protection.

Partnership decision-making and authority of partners:

procedures and authority under the Partnership Act 1890
common provisions in partnership agreements.

Insolvency (corporate and personal):

options and procedures - CVA/IVA, bankruptcy, administration, fixed asset receivership, voluntary and compulsory liquidation
claw-back of assets for creditors – preferences, transactions at an undervalue, fraudulent and wrongful trading, setting aside a floating charge
order of priority for distribution to creditors.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Taxation - business

Income Tax:

chargeable persons/entities (employees, sole traders, partners, shareholders, lenders and debenture holders)
basis of charge (types of income/main reliefs and exemptions)
the charge to tax: calculation and collection
the scope of anti-avoidance provisions.

Capital Gains Tax:

chargeable persons/entities (sole traders, partners, and shareholders)
basis of charge (calculation of gains/allowable deductions/main reliefs and exemptions)
the charge to tax: calculation and collection
the scope of anti-avoidance provisions.

Corporation Tax:

basis of charge
calculation, payment and collection of tax
tax treatment of company distributions or deemed distributions to shareholders
outline of anti-avoidance legislation.

Value Added Tax:

key principles relating to scope, supply, input and output tax
registration requirements and issue of VAT invoices
returns/payment of VAT and record keeping.

Inheritance Tax:

business property relief.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

The principles, procedures and processes involved in dispute resolution

Different options for dispute resolution:

The characteristics of arbitration, mediation and litigation which make them an appropriate mechanism to resolve a dispute.

Resolving a dispute through a civil claim:

preliminary considerations: limitation, pre-action protocols:
parties and causes of action
calculating limitation periods for claims in contract and tort
Practice Direction – pre-action conduct
principles and purpose of pre-action protocols governing particular claims and consequences for failure to follow their terms
applicable law: mechanisms to determine which country’s laws apply to a contractual or tortious claim issued in the courts of England and Wales
jurisdiction: mechanisms to determine jurisdiction over an international contractual or tortious claim.

Where to start proceedings:

allocation of business between the High Court and the county court
jurisdiction of the specialist courts.

Issuing and serving proceedings:

issuing a claim form
adding, removing or substituting parties
service of a claim form within the jurisdiction
procedure for service of a claim form outside the jurisdiction (with or without the court’s permission) and mechanisms for effecting valid service in another jurisdiction
deemed dates of service and time limits for serving proceedings
service by an alternative method.

Responding to a claim:

admitting the claim
acknowledging service and filing a defence and/or counterclaim
disputing the court’s jurisdiction
entering and setting aside judgment in default
discontinuance and settlement
time limits for responding to a claim.

Statements of case:

purpose, structure and content of a claim form, particulars of claim, or defence relating to a claim in contract or tort
purpose, structure and content of a reply, Part 20 claim, or defence to Part 20 claim
requests for further information about statements of case
amendments.

Interim applications:

procedure for making an application
purpose, procedure and evidence required for particular applications:
- summary judgment
- interim payments
- interim injunctions.

Case management:

the overriding objective
track allocation
case management directions for cases proceeding on the fast or multi-tracks
non-compliance with orders, sanctions and relief
costs and case management conferences.

Evidence:

relevance, hearsay and admissibility
the burden and standard of proof
expert evidence -
- opinion evidence
- duties of experts
- single joint experts
- discussion between experts
witness evidence -
- witness statements
- affidavits.

Disclosure and inspection:

standard disclosure
orders for disclosure
specific disclosure
pre-action and non-party disclosure
electronic disclosure
privilege and without prejudice communications
waiver of privilege.

Trial:

summoning witnesses
preparations for trial -
- purpose of pre-trial checklists and hearings
- purpose of trial bundles.
trial procedure including modes of address, court room etiquette and the difference between leading and non-leading questions
the nature and effect of judgment.

Costs:

costs management and budgeting
inter-partes costs orders (interim and final)
non-party costs
qualified one-way costs shifting
Part 36 and other offers
security for costs
fixed and assessed costs.

Appeals:

permission
destination of appeals
grounds for appeals.

Enforcement of money judgments:

oral examination
methods of enforcement
procedure and mechanisms for effecting valid enforcement in another jurisdiction.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Core principles of contract law

Formation:

offer and acceptance
consideration
intention to create legal relations
certainty
capacity.

Parties:

privity of contract
rights of third parties.

Contract terms:

express terms
incorporation of terms
terms implied by common law and statute
exemption clauses
the interpretation of contract terms (conditions, warranties and innominate terms)
variation.

Vitiating factors:

misrepresentation
mistake
unfair contract terms
duress and undue influence
illegality.

Termination:

expiry or other specified event
breach
frustration
basic principles of restitution and unjust enrichment in the context of termination of contract.

Remedies:

damages
liquidated sums and penalties
specific performance
injunctions
duty to mitigate
indemnities
guarantees.

Causation and remoteness

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Core principles of tort

Negligence:

duty of care (standard (general and professional)) and breach
causation (single and multiple)
remoteness and loss
principles of remedies for personal injury and death claims
claims for pure economic loss arising from either a negligent act or misstatement
claims for psychiatric harm
employers’ primary liability (operation and effect of the common law principles).

Defences:

consent
contributory negligence
illegality
necessity.

Principles of vicarious liability

Occupiers’ Liability:

legal requirements for a claim under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 (in relation to visitors) and the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984 (in relation to non-visitors)
defences
exclusion of liability.

Product liability:

principles in negligence
principles of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Nuisance:

public and private nuisance
the rule in Rylands v Fletcher
remedies (damages and injunctions) and defences.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

The Legal System of England and Wales and Sources of law

The courts:

the judiciary
court hierarchy, the appeal system and jurisdiction
rights of audience.

Development of case law: the doctrine of precedent

Primary legislation: the structure of an act of Parliament

Statutory interpretation:

the literal rule
the golden rule
the mischief rule
the purposive approach
presumptions
aids to statutory interpretation and construction.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Constitutional and Administrative law and EU law

Core institutions of the state and how they interrelate:

parliament and parliamentary sovereignty
central government and accountability
status of the devolved institutions and their relationship with Westminster
the monarch and the Crown
the role of constitutional conventions
prerogative power: relationship with legislation and constitutional conventions
parliamentary privilege.

Legitimacy, separation of powers and the rule of law:

powers and procedures for the enactment, implementation and repeal of primary and secondary legislation

Public Order law

Processions
Assemblies
Breach of the peace

judicial review

the nature, process and limits of judicial review
supervisory nature
remedies
decisions which may be challenged
standing
time limits
grounds:
- illegality
- irrationality
- procedural impropriety
- legitimate expectation.

Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights:

ss.2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 Human Rights Act 1998
Schedule 1 HRA 1998 the "Convention Rights".

The place of EU law in the UK constitution:

Sources of retained EU law
Categories/status/interpretation of retained EU law
Modification/withdrawal of retained EU law
Parliamentary sovereignty and retained EU law.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Legal Services

The regulatory role of the SRA:

principles and risk-based regulation
- reserved legal activities
- professional indemnity insurance
- other regulated providers of legal services

overriding legal obligations
- The Equality Act 2010
- Money laundering
  - purpose and scope of anti-money laundering legislation including the international context
  - circumstances encountered in the course of practice where suspicion of money laundering should be reported in accordance with the legislation
  - the appropriate person or body to whom suspicions should be reported, the appropriate time for such reports to be made and the appropriate procedure to be followed
  - direct involvement and non-direct involvement offences, and defences to those offences under Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
  - due diligence requirements

Financial services

the financial services regulatory framework including authorisation, and how it applies to solicitors' firms
recognition of relevant financial services issues, including the identification of specified investments, specified activities and relevant exemptions
application of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and related secondary legislation to the work of a solicitor
appropriate sources of information on financial services.

Funding options for legal services:

private retainer
conditional fee arrangements
damages based agreements
fixed fees
eligibility for criminal and civil legal aid
third party funding
legal expenses insurance.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

FLK 2

Core knowledge areas of freehold real estate law and practice

Investigation of a registered and unregistered freehold title:

key elements and structure of freehold property transactions
process of analysing Land Registry official copy entries
process of analysing an epitome of title and deducing ownership
issues that could arise from an investigation of title and further action required
purpose and process of reporting to the client.

Pre-contract searches and enquiries:

range and purpose of making searches and raising enquiries.
who would make the searches and raise enquiries.
results of searches and enquiries.

Law Society Conveyancing Protocol

Finance:

sources of finance for a property transaction
types of mortgage.

Acting for a lender:

lender’s requirements
purpose of a certificate of title.

Preparation for and exchange of contracts:

key conditions contained in the:
- Standard Conditions of Sale
- Standard Commercial Property Conditions.
purpose of, and matters covered by, special conditions
methods of holding a deposit:
- stakeholder
- agent
insurance and risk
basics of VAT in a contract
timing for issuing certificate of title to a lender
the practice, method and authority to exchange
consequences of exchange.

Pre-completion:

form of transfer deed and formalities for execution
pre-completion searches
pre-completion steps.

Completion and post-completion:

methods and effect of completion
post-completion steps.

Remedies for delayed completion:

common law damages
contractual compensation
notice to complete
rescission.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Core knowledge areas of leasehold real estate law and practice

Structure and content of a lease:

repair
insurance
alterations
user and planning
rent and rent review
alienation
options for the term of a lease
Code for Leasing Business Premises.

Procedural steps for the grant of a lease or underlease:

drafting the lease
purpose of an agreement for lease
deduction of title
pre-contract enquiries and searches
pre-completion formalities
completion and post-completion steps.

Procedural steps for the assignment of a lease:

deduction of title
pre-contract enquiries and searches
landlord’s consent
deed of assignment and covenants for title
pre-completion formalities
authorised guarantee agreement
completion and post-completion steps.

Licence to assign and licence to underlet:

purpose of and who prepares the draft
privity of contract and how the licence deals with this
key provisions in the licence.

Leasehold covenants:

liability on covenants in leases –
- leases granted before 1 January 1996
- leases granted on or after 1 January 1996

Remedies for breach of a leasehold covenant:

action in debt
forfeiture
Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery
pursue guarantors and/or rent deposit
specific performance
damages
self-help/Jervis v Harris clause.

Termination of a lease:

effluxion of time
notice to quit
surrender
merger.

Security of tenure under a business lease:

Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (Part II) –
application of 1954 Act
renewal lease by the tenant
termination by the landlord
landlord’s grounds of opposition
terms of new lease
availability of compensation.

Core principles of planning law

Statutory definition of “Development”

Matters that do not constitute “Development”

Matters that do not require express planning permission

Building regulation control

Enforcement: time limits and the range of local planning authority’s enforcement powers

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Taxation – property

Stamp Duty Land Tax and Land Transaction Tax:

basis of charge in both England and Wales for:
residential property
non-residential freehold property.

Value Added Tax:

basis of charge:
what constitutes a taxable supply
differences between standard, exempt and zero-rated supplies
reasons why a client would make an option to tax and the effect that has.

Capital Gains Tax:

basis of charge
principal private dwelling-house exemption.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Wills and Intestacy

Validity of wills and codicils:

testamentary capacity
duress and undue influence
formal requirements.

Personal Representatives:

the appointment of executors
renunciation and reservation of power.

Alterations and amendments to wills:

effect of alterations made to wills both before and after execution
use of codicils.

Revocation of wills:

methods of revocation
effect of marriage and divorce of a testator.

The interpretation of wills:

effect of different types of gift
failure of gifts.

The intestacy rules:

Section 46 of The Administration of Estates Act 1925
the statutory trusts.

Property passing outside the estate:

joint property
life policies
pension scheme benefits
trust property.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Probate and Administration Practice

Grants of representation:

need for grant
the relevant provisions of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules
application procedure
valuation of assets and liabilities
excepted estates
methods of funding the initial payment of Inheritance Tax
burden and incidence of Inheritance Tax.

Administration of estates:

duties of personal representatives
liabilities of personal representatives and their protection
the sale of assets to raise funds to pay funeral expenses, tax, debts and legacies
distribution of the estate.

Claims against estates under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975:

time limit
applicants
ground.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Taxation – wills and the administration of estates

Inheritance Tax:

lifetime transfers that are immediately chargeable and those that are potentially exempt
transfers on death
exemptions and reliefs
the scope of anti-avoidance provisions.

Income and Capital Gains Tax in respect of the period of the administration of an estate:

the personal representatives’ liability to Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax
the beneficiaries’ liability to Capital Gains Tax on inherited assets.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 50 MCQs (indicative)

Solicitors Accounts

Client money:

definition
requirement to pay client money into a client account
circumstances in which client money may be withheld from a client account
repayment
accounting entries required.

Client account:

meaning and name of account
obligation not to use client account to provide banking facilities
withdrawals and accounting entries required.

Requirement to keep client money separate from money belonging to the authorised body

Interest:

requirement to pay interest on client money
accounting entries required.

Breach of the SRA Accounts Rules:

duty to correct breaches of SRA Accounts Rules promptly on discovery
accounting entries required.

Requirement to keep and maintain accurate records in client ledgers, including requirement to carry out reconciliation of client accounts and to keep a record of bills to include:

disbursements using the agency and principal methods
transfers
submission, reduction and payment of bills including the VAT element
accounting entries required.

Operation of joint account; operation of a client’s own account

Third-party managed accounts

Obtaining and delivery of accountants’ reports; storage and retention of accounting records

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Core principles of land law

Nature of Land:

distinction between real property and personal property
how to acquire and transfer legal and equitable estates
how to acquire and dispose of legal and equitable interests in land
methods to protect and enforce third party interests
different ways in which land can be held
legal formalities required to create and transfer interests and estates in land.

Title to Land:

registration of title to land:
- estates that can be substantively registered
- how to protect interests
- interests that override registration and interests that need to be protected on the register
core principles of unregistered title to land:
- role of title deeds
- Land Charges
- continuing role of doctrine of notice.

Co-ownership and Trusts:

differences between joint tenants and tenants in common in law and in equity
rule of survivorship
severance of joint tenancies
solving disagreements between co-owners by reference to sections 14 and 15 of Trusts of Land & Appointment of Trustees Act 1996.

Proprietary Rights:

essential characteristics of easements
methods for creation of easements
rules for the passing of the benefit and burden of freehold covenants
mortgages, including enforceability of terms, priority of mortgages, lender’s powers and duties, and protection of mortgagors and other third parties with an interest in the land.

Leases:

relationship between landlord and tenant in a lease
essential characteristics of a lease including the difference between a lease and a licence
privity of contract and privity of estate
rules for the passing of the benefit and burden of leasehold covenants and enforceability
purpose and effect of an alienation covenant
remedies for breach of leasehold covenants (including forfeiture)
different ways a lease can be terminated.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Core principles of trust law

Creation and requirements of express trusts:

the three certainties of intention, subject matter and objects:
- fixed interest trusts
- discretionary trusts
formalities to create express inter vivos trusts
constitution of express inter vivos trusts and exceptions to the rule that equity will not assist a volunteer.

Beneficial entitlement:

fixed, discretionary, vested, contingent interests
the rule in Saunders v Vautier.

The distinction between charitable trusts and non-charitable purpose trusts

Resulting trusts:

how they arise and when they are (or are not) presumed.

Trusts of the family home:

establishment of a common intention constructive trust:
- legal title in the name of both parties/sole party
- express declaration or agreement as to equitable ownership
- direct and indirect contributions
requirements to establish proprietary estoppel.

Liability of strangers to the trust:

establishing recipient liability
establishing accessory liability.

The fiduciary relationship and its obligations:

duty not to profit from fiduciary position
trustees not to purchase trust property
fiduciary not to put himself in a position where his interest and duty conflict.

Trustees:

who can be a trustee; appointment, removal and retirement of trustees
trustees’ duty of care
trustees’ duty to invest (and powers in relation to investment)
trustees’ statutory powers of maintenance and advancement.

Trustees’ liability:

breach of trust
measure of liability
protection of trustees
limitation period.

The nature of equitable remedies and the availability of tracing in equity.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Core principles of criminal liability

The core principles of criminal liability relating to the specified criminal offences listed below:

Specified criminal offences:

offences against the person:

assault and battery
s. 47 Offences Against the Person Act 1861
s. 20 Offences Against the Person Act 1861
s. 18 Offences Against the Person Act 1861

theft offences:

s. 1 Theft Act 1968
s. 8 Theft Act 1968
s. 9 Theft Act 1968
s. 10 Theft Act 1968

criminal damage:

simple criminal damage
aggravated criminal damage
arson

homicide:

murder
voluntary manslaughter
involuntary manslaughter (unlawful act manslaughter, manslaughter by gross negligence)

fraud:

by false representation
by abuse of position
by failing to disclose.

Definition of the offence:

actus reus
mens rea.

General defences:

intoxication
self-defence/defence of another.

Partial defences:

loss of control
diminished responsibility.

Parties:

principal offender
accomplices
joint enterprise.

Inchoate offences:

Attempt to commit an offence.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Advising clients, including vulnerable clients, about the procedure and processes at the police station

Rights of a suspect being detained by the police for questioning:

right to legal advice
right to have someone informed of arrest
reviews and detention time limits under PACE 1984, Code C.

Identification procedures:

when an identification procedure must be held
different types of identification procedure
procedure for carrying out an identification procedure PACE 1984, Code D.

Advising a client, including vulnerable clients, whether to answer police questions:

right to silence
adverse inferences.

Procedure for interviewing a suspect under PACE 1984:

role and appropriate conduct by defence legal representative/ solicitor including representation of vulnerable client
role of appropriate adult and who can be an appropriate adult.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

The procedures and processes involved in criminal litigation

Bail applications:

the right to bail and exceptions
conditional bail
procedure for applying for bail
further applications for bail
appeals against decisions on bail
absconding and breaches of bail.

First hearings before the magistrates’ court:

classification of offences
applying for a representation order
procedural overview – what will happen at the hearing
the role of the defence solicitor at the hearing.

Plea before Venue:

procedure on defendant entering plea
advising the client on trial venue.

Allocation of business between magistrates' court and Crown Court:

procedure ss. 19–20 and s. 22A Magistrates' Courts Act 1980
sending without allocation s. 50A Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Case management and pre-trial hearings:

Magistrates' court case management directions
Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing
disclosure – prosecution, defence and unused material.

Principles and procedures to admit and exclude evidence:

burden and standard of proof
visual identification evidence and Turnbull guidance
inferences from silence ss. 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
hearsay evidence:
- definition
- grounds for admitting hearsay evidence
confession evidence:
- definition
- admissibility
- challenging admissibility ss. 76 and 78 PACE 1984
character evidence:
- definition of bad character
- the 7 gateways s. 101(1) Criminal Justice Act 2003
- procedure for admitting bad character evidence
- court’s powers to exclude bad character evidence
exclusion of evidence:
- scope and application of s. 78 PACE and the right to a fair trial.

Trial procedure in magistrates’ court and Crown Court:

burden and standard of proof
stages of a criminal trial, including submission of no case to answer
modes of address and Court room etiquette
difference between leading and non-leading questions
competence and compellability
special measures
solicitor’s duty to the court.

Sentencing:

role of sentencing guidelines
determining seriousness (aggravating and mitigating facts)
concurrent and consecutive sentences
mitigation
types of sentence:
- custodial sentences
- suspended sentences
- community orders
Newton hearings.

Appeals procedure:

appeals from the magistrates’ court:
- procedure for appeal against conviction and/or sentence
- powers of the Crown Court
- appeal to the High Court by way of case stated
appeals from the Crown Court:
- grounds of appeal
- procedure for making the appeal
- powers of the Court of Appeal.

Youth court procedure:

jurisdiction and grave crimes
allocation
- youths jointly charged with adult
sentencing:
- role of the Sentencing Children and Young People – definitive guidelines
- referral orders
- detention and training orders
- youth rehabilitation orders.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 100 MCQs (indicative)

Ethics, professionalism and judgment

The purpose, scope and content of the SRA Principles
The purpose, scope and content of the Code of Conduct, which consists of:

SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs
SRA Code of Conduct for Firms in relation to:
- Managers in authorised firms
- Compliance Officers.

Topic-wise assignments for this module- 50 MCQs (indicative)

Course Plan

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Crack The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE 1) (UK)