19 April 2021
CEO of SSB Law, Sheffield
My motivation to pursue a legal career was kickstarted when I saw an advert for an outdoor clerk in a criminal department of a Sheffield law firm. I had served as a police officer, it looked like an interesting role, so I submitted an application.
I entered the legal profession later in my career, first studying for the Institute of Legal Executives alongside full-time work. Fitting studying in around work commitments meant it took me four years to complete the necessary modules. Afterwards, I attended a distance learning course at Nottingham Trent University to achieve my Legal Practice Course qualification. It took nearly eight years in total to qualify.
By Jemma Slingo2021-04-19T14:43:00+01:00
Operating profits at legal educator BPP more than tripled last year, while its profit margin widened to almost 20%, the owner of the business reported today. The university, which was bought by a private equity company last month, said Covid-19 had not had a ‘significant financial impact’ on its performance.
According to accounts for the year ended 31 August 2020, BPP s operating profit rose from £5.6m to £17.97m, and operating profit margin rose from 7% to 19% year-on-year. Revenue rose less steeply, growing by 11% to £94.24m.
BPP said the profit increase followed ‘strong revenue growth at scale that has delivered operational efficiencies along with proactive management of property, staff and other operating costs’. It added that while Covid-19 had an operational impact, ‘it did not have a significant financial impact when group performance is compared to the prior year’.
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completing two years of qualifying work experience (QWE)
satisfying the SRA’s character and suitability
SQE1 will consist of two exams of 180 questions testing ‘functional legal knowledge’ through single best answer, multiple-choice questions. SQE2 includes 15 to 18 exercises which will test candidates’ legal skills through written and oral simulations of tasks a newly qualified solicitor might undertake in practice, across five contexts.
There are no required courses to prepare for these assessments, but many will choose to attend some form of preparatory course for both sets of assessments. There will be a number of different options available to candidates, from short standalone preparatory courses for each stage of assessment, to a full Masters course including preparation for both assessments.
Six months till SQE lawgazette.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lawgazette.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.