Seminars and Interview Sessions

Postgraduate (Conversion) in Law Admissions Talk by The University of Law

Seminar Theme

With the implementation of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) in the 2021/22 academic year, the solicitor qualifying framework in the UK is replaced by a more examination-based regime. Graduates who would like to qualify as a solicitor will be eligible, after passing the SQE and obtaining two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE).

Under the new regime, it’s no longer mandatory to study a LLB (Hons) Law degree at undergraduate level. Students with different academic background ^{(it’s not uncommon for graduates with science and arts background to switch into law!)} can now start their pursuit of a legal career via different study modes ^{(study a formal qualification, short-term prep courses or by independent study)}. As long as you have the required legal knowledge and skills – you prove that by passing the SQE – the door is open for you!

Seminar Content

Dona Chung

Head of Student Recruitment & Marketing (Hong Kong)Joining us in person

In the Admissions Talk, admission representative from The University of Law will provide an overview of the SQE system, so that students and parents can understand the implications to their planning.

The University will also introduce the new courses designed to prepare students for the SQE and a series of Postgraduate (Conversion) programmes suitable for non-law graduates to bring them up to the required standard in the core legal subjects. The Admissions Talk is therefore suitable for university graduates and working adults from all disciplines, as well as school students and their parents who are considering studying law in the future.

Postgraduate (Conversion) in Law: PGDL/MA Law – Up to 35% of new trainees employed by UK law firms are non-law graduates in recent years, what’s driving the trend? And why do these non-law graduates on average enjoy a higher starting salary?

While barriers of entry look more flexible under the new SQE regime, it’s still essential that students have the required legal knowledge and techniques to fulfill the demanding job requirements of a lawyer. Competing a formal conversion programme remains the most effective way to bring you up to the required standard in core legal subjects. And it’s still what many employers prefer for non-law graduates!

Postgraduate Diploma (Law Conversion) PGDL

POSTGRADUATE – for graduates with a Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor or a UK Barrister

UK Campus~8.5-Month FT~1.5-Year PT
Distance Learning~8.5-Month FT~1.5-Year PT

MA Law (SQE1)

POSTGRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL EXAM PREPARATION – for graduates with a Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor. Also includes the SQE1 Preparation Course and four weeks of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)

UK Campus~1.5-Year FT~2.5-Year PT
Distance Learning~1.5-Year FT~2.5-Year PT

MA Law (Conversion)

POSTGRADUATE – for graduates with a Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor or a UK Barrister

UK Campus~1-Year FT~2-Year PT
Distance Learning~1-Year FT~2-Year PT

In this section, The University of Law will introduce their Postgraduate (Conversion) programmes, detailing its course structure, teaching modules, study modes, as well as career prospect. Among the core law modules, which do students usually find most challenging? How does a conversion programme enhance your chance in the SQE and further down the road in your career? How big a difference would it make with four weeks of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) in the programmes? Apart from these, the University will also share successful cases of past students admitted into the PCLL and share their advices on when it’s appropriate for students to train in Hong Kong or the UK.

Teaching Modules in PGDL and MA Law:

	PGDL	MA Law (Conversion)	MA Law (SQE1)
Core Module
English Legal System & Constitutional Law (including Retained EU Law)	•	•	•
Tort Law	•	•	•
Contract Law	•	•	•
Criminal Law	•	•	•
Administrative Law & Human Rights	•	•	•
Land Law	•	•	•
Trusts	•	•	•
Law of Organisations	•	•	•
Additional Module
8,000-word Dissertation in Law		•
Four Weeks of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)			•
SQE1 (Functioning Legal Knowledge 1&2)			•

For non-law graduates, if you’d like to train as a solicitor in Hong Kong, or as a barrister in both jurisdictions, it’s mandatory to complete a Postgraduate (Conversion) programme:

Solicitor		Barrister
Qualifying in the UK	Qualifying in Hong Kong	Qualifying in the UK	Qualifying in Hong Kong
Not Mandatory If you have certain knowledge in law, it’s possible to go for a SQE prep course or attempt the SQE directly	Mandatory To qualify for the PCLL, you must complete a conversion course and the PCLL Conversion Exams	Mandatory You can progress onto the Bar Practice Course (BPC) after the conversion course	Mandatory To qualify for the PCLL, you must complete a conversion course and the PCLL Conversion Exams

🔔 PCLL Progression from the University of Law in the past three cohorts!

According to the latest official statistics, PGDL/MA Law graduates from The University of Law have been admitted into PCLL in the past three academic years (2022/23-2024/25)

Understanding the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)

On the surface, the framework is simple enough – There are two parts of the SQE (namely SQE1 and SQE2). Passed them and obtained two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE), you qualify as a solicitor in the UK. But in practice, what skills and abilibites are SQE1 and SQE2 testing respectively? Would it mainly be multiple-choice questions, or would it also involve longer form questions too? And how important is the oral component? In this section, The University of Law will tell you all about the SQE and how their SQE prep courses target the toughest parts of the exams!

The University of Law’s SQE1 Pass Rate 76%

SQE1 Pass Rate (National Average) 58%
SQE1 (January 2026)

The University of Law’s SQE2 Pass Rate 91%

SQE2 Pass Rate (National Average) 79%
SQE2 (October 2025)

SQE Law Essentials Online

Suitable for graduates with a Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor

Distance Learning~11-Week FT~17-Week PT

SQE1 Preparation Courses

Suitable for graduates with a Law or Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor

UK Campus~14-Week FT~27-Week PT
Distance Learning~12-Week FT~24-Week PT

SQE2 Preparation Courses

Suitable for graduates with a Law or Non-Law degree to train as a UK Solicitor

UK Campus~8-Week FT~20-Week PT
Distance Learning~8-Week FT~20-Week PT

Understanding the Requirements of QWE: Time spent on placement during a law degree and working as a paralegal now count towards QWE too!

Graduates seeking to qualify as a solicitor will need to pass the SQE, and obtain two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE). While these work experience can be completed in the UK and overseas (including Hong Kong), what other conditions do these have to meet before it can be included as QWE? Under what circumstances can working paralegals transfer their existing work experience as QWE?

An Alternative in a Law-related Career: Corporate Governance & Becoming a Chartered Secretary

If you’re looking for a professional career, but not sure about whether being a lawyer is right for you, the Chartered Secretary pathway could be a good alternative to consider! Studying a master’s in corporate governance is the most direct way to obtain the Chartered Secretary status and it’s a very popular choice for many business, law and accounting graduates. The programmes, however, usually accept students from other disciplines who have a strong interest in corporate governance too.

Often when people mention the role of company secretary, the first associations that come to mind are secretaries and personal assistants of bosses or other senior management people. That’s normal, as other employees can act as the company secretary in average registered companies. In listed companies, however, the role of the company secretary must be filled with a member of the Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (HKCGI) ^{(or a lawyer or an accountant)}, to fulfill the regulatory requirements of the Exchange!

How is the employment landscape actually like in Hong Kong and in the UK now? As countries around the world tighten rules and regulations in corporate governance, what implications would it have for Chartered Secretary? Admission representative from The University of Law will provide details about their LLM Corporate Governance GradCG programmes, covering areas such as course structure, entry requirements, tuition fees, study locations and the steps it takes to qualify as a Chartered Secretary.

LLM Corporate Governance GradCG

POSTGRADUATE – for graduates from All Disciplines to train as a Chartered Secretary

UK Campus~1-Year FT~2-Year PT
Distance Learning~1-Year FT~2-Year PT

University Profile: The University of Law

Founded in 1876, The University of Law has an excellent and unique reputation in professional legal training in the UK. In its early years, it was the lawyer training school of the Law Society of England and Wales, and later became the first private university that was granted degree-awarding power by the UK government! Today, The University of Law is one of the most established law schools in the UK and an education partner of the leading global law firms such as Clifford Chance and Linklaters, providing a bespoke master’s degree for Clifford Chance and Linklaters.

Key Postgraduate & Undergraduate Programmes (designed for the SQE framework)

With the implementation of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) in the 2021/22 academic year, the solicitor qualifying framework in the UK is replaced by a more examination-based regime. Graduates who would like to qualify as a solicitor will now need to pass the SQE, and obtain two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE):

Under the new system, requirements of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) are sligtly relaxed, which can now include time spent on placement during a law degree, working as a paralegal and a few other circumstances. Such a change means that, for paralegals with some experience, upgrading themselves as a solicitor is now much less difficult. For prospective law students – especially those who might hesitate for the uncertainties of securing a Training Contract – a dead-end in their pursuit to become a lawyer has also become less likely!

Professional Exam Preparation Courses

In addition to year-long academic programmes, The University of Law also offers a range of professional exam preparation courses, to help students prepare for the SQE and the PCLL Conversion Examinations.

Postgraduate Programmes (designed for the old qualification framework)

In the initial years of the implementation of the SQE, a transitional arrangement is open to students who have started their law degrees in September 2021 or before, under which they are eligible for both new and existing training routes:

A Global Alumni Network: The Postgraduate Training Choice of Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London

After obtaining their bachelor’s degrees in Law from a traditional university, many students would continue their postgraduate training in The University of Law. The alumni network of The University of Law now comprises over 100,000 graduates from around the world, including many from Asian regions such as Hong Kong and Malaysia. In the UK, they include Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, who completed his LPC in The University of Law before embarking on his journey as a human rights lawyer and later a successful career in politics.

Campus-based Study Locations

The University of Law has campuses in major cities in the UK, such as London, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham. In recent years, The University of Law has also formed partnership with University of Sheffield, Newcastle University, University of Reading, University of Exeter, University of Leicester, University of Liverpool, University of East Anglia, University of Southampton, Lancaster University, University of Hull, Oxford Brookes University, Royal Holloway and University of Chester, to deliver its law conversion programmes and SQE preparation courses on-campus, so that students can enjoy the the range of campus facilities and campus life in a traditional university campus. The Hong Kong campus also officially opened in the 2019/20 academic year.

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