The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has awarded £360,000 to 11 organisations to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the cost of sitting the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
The organisations provide a range of legal, educational and social mobility services across England and Wales, ranging from making the legal industry more accessible to people from underrepresented groups, to providing legal advice to veterans and their families.
The funding will help candidates qualify by covering the entry fee for the SQE1 (£1,934) or SQE2 (£2,974) exams, or both. Successful candidates could sit their first examination as early as January 2026.
SRA chief executive Paul Philip said:
“One of the objectives of the SQE is to promote a diverse profession by removing artificial and unjustifiable barriers. Our decision to distribute the fund in this way reflects our commitment to meeting the SQE objectives. The fund recognises that talent, not financial circumstances, should determine who can become a solicitor. Up to 190 candidates could be supported through the scheme. We look forward to following their journeys.”
Some of the funding has been allocated to the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme, which supports aspiring solicitors from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete their legal education, obtain work experience and access meaningful mentorship opportunities.
Law Society president Richard Atkinson said it will help support aspiring solicitors who face significant personal barriers to qualifying. He added:
“This funding will promote social mobility and work towards increasing diversity within the legal profession by supporting individuals who face social, educational, financial or personal challenges to qualifying as a solicitor.
“Over the past two decades, we have had the pleasure of supporting aspiring solicitors through our Diversity Access Scheme into their chosen field and career. This funding will enable us to continue our work on a greater scale.”
The funding is sourced from the SQE Access and Reinvestment Fund, which the SRA manages and funds through performance-based payments from SQE provider Kaplan. The fund has been building since the SQE launched in 2021, and this marks its first distribution. Future initiatives will be determined by available funding payments and business priorities.
The SRA invited organisations that support aspiring solicitors to apply for a share of the fund. The successful organisations will select candidates who will benefit from the funding; each organisation will run its own candidate selection process.
