SQE Exam Essentials and Preparations

In this all-in-one introductory episode of SQE Essentials, we explain the entire SQE qualification pathway, including the latest rules, exemptions, and step-by-step processes for becoming a solicitor in England and Wales.

🧭 You’ll learn:

• What replaced the LPC and how the SQE works
• Structure and format of SQE1 (Functioning Legal Knowledge) and SQE2 (Practical Legal Skills)
• Exam content, length, and cost
• Who can take the SQE – eligibility criteria including academic background and English language requirements
• How to register, book exams, and manage the application timeline
• Understanding Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) – how to record, sign off, and when to complete
• Exemption pathway for qualified Chinese lawyers (PRC bar holders) – how to apply for SQE2 exemption
• How to apply for admission to the Roll of Solicitors

📝 Whether you’re a law graduate, foreign-qualified lawyer, or switching from the LPC, this episode gives you a clear roadmap and removes all the guesswork.

📲 Access the CELE SQE toolkit and application checklist at celebar.com

In this special episode of SQE Essentials, we shift focus to the SQE2 examination, offering high-impact advice from candidates who’ve been through the process and passed with distinction.

🎯 What you'll learn:

• Breakdown of the SQE2 format: oral vs written stations, skills assessed, and legal subjects covered
• Common pitfalls that lead to low marks — and how to avoid them
• How to manage your time, mindset, and stamina across the multi-day exam
• Tactical prep:
  ▪️ Using mock exams and roleplays effectively
  ▪️ Balancing accuracy vs fluency in written skills
  ▪️ Mastering client interviewing, advocacy, legal drafting, and case analysis
• Recommended resources, including the CELE SQE2 prep programme and practice station bank

🧠 Whether you’re weeks away from your exam or planning early, these tips will help you sharpen your focus and boost your confidence.

📲 Explore the full CELE SQE2 prep toolkit at celetraining.com or in the PASS-SQE App.

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we break down the types of beneficial interests under English trust law — a core component of the SQE1 syllabus and vital for understanding trust structures, beneficiary entitlements, and trustee powers.

🎯 Topics covered:

• Capital vs income: what beneficiaries may be entitled to receive
• Vested interests vs contingent interests, and how s.31 of the Trustee Act 1925 affects minors' income
• Successive interests: life tenants, remaindermen, and future interests
• The principle of Saunders v Vautier – when beneficiaries can collapse the trust
• Types of trusts:
  ▪️ Fixed trusts – requiring a complete list of beneficiaries (IRC v Broadway Cottages)
  ▪️ Discretionary trusts – governed by the “is or is not” test (McPhail v Doulton) and clarified in Re Baden (No. 2)
  ▪️ Bare trusts – absolute entitlement with no discretion
• Trustee obligations under the Trustee Act 2000, including the duty of impartiality (Nestle v NatWest)

📘 By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to distinguish between trust structures and accurately map out beneficiary rights in a range of scenarios.

📲 Learn more via the PASS-SQE App or at celetraining.com

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we examine the formal requirements for creating and constituting trusts in English law. This is a highly examinable area of Trusts law that blends strict formalism with equitable flexibility.

🎓 Topics covered include:

• The difference between inter vivos trusts and testamentary trusts
• Formal requirements for transferring personalty vs. land (realty)
• The three certainties revisited: intention, subject matter, objects
• Why equity will not perfect an imperfect gift or assist a volunteer
• The doctrine of incompletely constituted trusts and its consequences
• Key equitable exceptions:
  ▪️ Re Rose – correct steps taken
  ▪️ Pennington v Waine – unconscionability
  ▪️ Strong v Bird – donor becomes executor
  ▪️ Proprietary estoppel – reliance and detriment
• The rule against perpetuities and the 125-year vesting period

🧠 This episode is critical for distinguishing enforceable trusts from failed gifts and will equip you with both doctrinal clarity and case-based nuance.

📲 Access case summaries, diagrams, and practice questions in the CELE SQE App or at celetraining.com

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we cover the core principles of solicitor account rules and SRA compliance — a high-risk, high-importance area for both the SQE1 exam and legal practice.

💼 Topics covered include:

• The purpose and scope of the SRA Accounts Rules
• What counts as client money, and how it must be separated from office funds
• Key duties: handling mixed receipts, operating client accounts, and transfers
• Bookkeeping practices: double-entry accounting, record-keeping, reconciliations
• VAT obligations for solicitors: when to charge, when to reclaim
• The ethical principles governing solicitor finances, and examples of misconduct
• Consequences of breaching the rules — from regulatory action to potential SRA intervention

📘 If you're preparing for SQE1 or entering practice management, this episode provides the essential technical and regulatory framework you’ll be expected to follow from day one.

📲 Explore our training notes, test bank, and ledger templates at celetraining.com or in the PASS-SQE App.

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we explore the historical foundations of English law, focusing on the role of the Monarch, the Nobility, and the Church in shaping legal authority.

📜 Topics covered:

• The King as lawmaker, enforcer, and judge under absolute monarchy
• How the Magna Carta and other historic movements gradually curtailed royal power
• The rise and transformation of the nobility’s role in governance
• The historic legal influence of the Roman Catholic Church and the later establishment of the Church of England
• How religion and politics intertwined to create lasting legal institutions
• The modern vestiges of religious influence within today's English Legal System

🧠 This background provides essential context for understanding constitutional law, separation of powers, and the enduring principles behind parliamentary democracy.

📲 Explore more with full CELE SQE learning materials at celetraining.com

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we explore the sources of law in the English legal system, with a special focus on the structure and operation of the legislative process.

📘 Key topics include:

• The primacy of Acts of Parliament as the supreme source of law
• How bills become law: the roles of the House of Commons and House of Lords
• Types of legislation: primary statutes vs delegated legislation
• How Parliament delegates legislative power and how controls are maintained
• The constitutional significance of the Parliament Acts and how the Commons can bypass the Lords under certain conditions
• Critical reflections on the democratic legitimacy of the House of Lords

🧠 This episode is essential for understanding the legislative landscape that underpins all areas of English law — from constitutional law to criminal procedure.

📲 Study the full CELE SQE training programme with textbooks, quizzes, and guided lectures via the PASS-SQE App or at celetraining.com

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we introduce the English Legal System (ELS), tracing its evolution and explaining its fundamental structures — crucial background for all areas of English law.

🎯 You’ll learn:

• What “law” means in the context of England and Wales
• The difference between the English Legal System, Scottish Law, and Northern Irish Law
• Distinction between statute law (legislation) and case law (common law and precedent)
• The separation between criminal law and civil law
• Public law vs private law explained
• Substantive law vs procedural law distinctions

📘 This foundational knowledge is essential for navigating all other legal subjects, from contract to criminal law, and forms the core of the SQE1 syllabus.

📲 Access the full CELE SQE curriculum and interactive learning resources at celetraining.com

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we explore the core doctrines and structures of English Trust Law, with a focus on the principles tested in the SQE1 assessment.

🎓 Topics covered:

• The three certainties required for the creation of a valid express trust
• Types of trusts: fixed trusts, discretionary trusts, resulting and constructive trusts
• The beneficiaries' rights and the rule in Saunders v Vautier
• The distinction between charitable and non-charitable purpose trusts
• Trusts of the family home and resulting/constructive trust claims
• Liability of third parties and the doctrine of knowing receipt / dishonest assistance
• Trustees' powers, duties, breaches, and the remedies available to beneficiaries
• The principle of tracing and equitable proprietary claims

🧠 This is a high-yield topic and commonly assessed in both doctrinal MCQs and applied scenario-style questions.

📲 Explore full textbooks, flashcards, and SQE1 quizzes via the PASS SQE App or visit celetraining.com

In this episode of SQE1 Essentials, we walk you through the full lifecycle of a criminal case in England and Wales — from the moment of arrest to the final sentence.

🔎 You’ll learn:

• Categories of criminal offences and how they are defined
• Police powers: arrest, detention, search, questioning, and identification
• Admissibility of evidence and grounds for exclusion
• Trial procedure in the Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court
• Allocation of either-way offences
• Common defences: self-defence, loss of control, duress, insanity, automatism
• Liability of accomplices and secondary parties
• Sentencing principles and types of punishment
• Specific procedures for youth offenders vs. adult defendants
• Appeals process

📘 This episode is essential for SQE1 candidates preparing for criminal law and criminal litigation, blending doctrinal principles with practical applications.

📲 Study the full CELE SQE curriculum via the PASS SQE App or visit celetraining.com