City Consortium to offer SQE ‘top-up courses’ for future trainees

The City Consortium, which includes Freshfields and Linklaters, will provide ‘top-up courses’ for future trainees taking the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) to ensure candidates are prepared to commence training contracts within a City practice.  

Freshfields, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells, Norton Rose Fulbright, Linklaters, Slaughter and May make up the City Consortium providing these top-up courses, which trainees can take in addition to the SQE preparation courses that have been developed to prepare future lawyers for the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments. BPP University Law School will deliver the top-up courses as the City group’s official training provider.

Patrick McCann, the global head of learning at City firm Linklaters, said: “Our bespoke programme will go beyond the knowledge and skills assessed in the SQE to prepare our future joiners for all aspects of their role”, according to Legal Cheek.

He added: “Using real-world transactions it will include topics relevant to City law, but also incorporate an understanding of commercial and technological frameworks and develop our graduates’ business-critical skills, such as growth mindset and resilience.”

Meanwhile, non-City Consortium firm Reed Smith has revealed that it will offer its future recruits practice-based learning via a partnership with the College of Legal Practice (CoLP). On top of the BARBRI SQE preparation courses offered by the firm, the practice-based learning delivered by the CoLP will support the firm’s trainees as they study for the SQE.