Legal Education Roundup - Q2 2025

Over the last quarter, some interesting developments have occurred in the legal education sector. 

From the latest results for the SQE1 exam to the continued uncertainty around solicitor apprenticeships funding, several stories have hit headlines recently that offer both good and bad news for the legal education sector. 

First, the results for the latest sitting of the SQE1 exam that took place in January were released at the end of last month, and they show a substantial increase in the pass rate from the previous sitting. The number of people passing rose to 56%, up from a record low of 44% from the last set of results in the summer last year. This will come as a welcome relief not just to everyone who passed, but also to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), who run the exam. There was pressure put on the regulator after the last set of results regarding the difficulty of passing this first half of the qualification. (And following in the wake of marking issues earlier in the year that resulted in trainees having training contracts cancelled after failing the exam, only to then be told they’d passed it thanks to a re-mark.) The breakdown of those attempting to pass for the first time compared to those who were re-sitting the exam remained broadly consistent: 60% passed on the first go, with the rest coming from re-sit candidates. This, combined with high pass rates, will come as welcome relief. However, there are still problems for the SQE to come: namely, the autumn deadline that the Legal Services Board put on the SQE publishing information on the pass rates achieved by different education providers for the SQE – something they have seemed reluctant to do until now. 

Another key area of legal education where a story is starting to develop is law apprenticeships, where the sector is waiting on a government decision about cuts to the funding of level 7 apprenticeships. The potential reductions were announced in September last year, meaning that more employers will have to bear more of the costs involved with training and development for those with funding cut. Despite promises that we would soon find out which apprenticeships would be affected, the government has said it will make an announcement ‘in due course’. Many providers and firms have warned about the dangers of cutting funding for the solicitor apprenticeship, warning that it could harm social mobility and access routes into the profession for aspiring solicitors. Finally, many top firms have posted high trainee retention rates, with firms like Hogan Lovells, Addleshaw Goddard and White & Case having posted high retention rates, ranging from 78%, right through to 100% of all trainees. It’s clear, therefore, that firms are taking the chance to invest in the next generation of talent, and these high retention rates are to be applauded. 

So, some interesting developments are coming out of the legal education sector right now that are worth discussing. And, with the potential publication of the results from the SRA on SQE training providers, there will still be some more on the horizon. We’ll keep you updated here at Douglas Scott with all of these and their impact on the broader legal sector.