Students on Kent Law School’s Solicitors’ Practice course are celebrating after securing Qualifying Work Experience paralegal positions with law firms through the School’s QWE Paralegal Scheme.
Now in its fourth year, the scheme connects aspiring solicitors with firms across Kent, London and the surrounding counties, giving students the opportunity to gain paid paralegal experience while completing their MLaw or LLM in Solicitors’ Practice. For students, it is an important step towards qualification as a solicitor. For firms, it offers a distinctive opportunity to recruit, develop and retain talented future lawyers at an early stage in their professional journey.
The scheme was created in response to the changing route to qualification as a solicitor. Under the SQE system, future solicitors must complete two years of Qualifying Work Experience alongside passing the SQE assessments. Kent Law School’s model enables students to combine rigorous academic study, SQE-focused preparation and practical experience in legal practice.
This year’s successful students have secured positions with partner firms after a structured application and recruitment process coordinated by Kent Law School. Students applied for roles advertised through the scheme, with firms shortlisting and interviewing candidates in the same way they would for any other paralegal position.
For the students, the moment of receiving an offer is a significant milestone. It means they can begin building their professional identity, developing practical legal skills, and accumulating QWE while continuing their studies. It also gives them the chance to learn from solicitors, work with clients and legal teams, and see how the law operates in practice.
Darren Weir, Director of Solicitors’ Practice at Kent Law School, said:
“We are absolutely delighted for our students. Securing a QWE paralegal position is a real achievement and reflects the hard work, ambition and professionalism they have shown throughout the recruitment process. The scheme is about much more than finding a job alongside study. It is about giving students a meaningful route into the profession and helping firms to identify and support the next generation of solicitors.”
Kent Law School’s Solicitors’ Practice courses are designed to allow students to balance study with work. The MLaw and LLM use block timetabling, with teaching arranged so that students can spend time in practice while completing their course. This means that students are able to develop their legal knowledge in the classroom and then see that knowledge applied in the workplace.
The benefits for firms are equally clear. Partner firms gain early access to motivated students who are committed to qualification as solicitors and who are studying the areas of functioning legal knowledge assessed by the SQE. The scheme allows firms to recruit in a structured and supported way, while retaining full control over the number of roles offered, salary, employment terms, shortlisting and interviews.
It also gives firms the opportunity to invest in future talent earlier. Rather than waiting until a graduate has completed their SQE preparation, firms can work with students as they progress through their Solicitors’ Practice studies. This allows employers to train students in the firm’s own culture, systems and practice areas, while building loyalty and long-term relationships.
The scheme also supports widening participation and diversity in the profession. Kent Law School has a diverse student body and has designed its Solicitors’ Practice courses to make vocational legal education more accessible. The integrated MLaw route allows students to complete the vocational stage of their legal education with support from undergraduate student funding, helping to remove some of the financial barriers that can prevent talented students from progressing towards qualification.
Darren Weir added:
“We know that many firms are thinking carefully about how they recruit and train future solicitors in the SQE era. Our message is simple: this scheme works. It gives students opportunity, it gives firms access to excellent future lawyers, and it creates a genuine partnership between legal education and the profession. We would strongly encourage more firms to consider joining us.”
Kent Law School has long been known for its commitment to practical legal education, clinical legal education and lawyering skills. The QWE Paralegal Scheme builds on that tradition by bringing together academic study, professional development and real legal work.
As this year’s students prepare to begin their roles, Kent Law School congratulates them on their success and thanks the partner firms who continue to support the scheme.
Law firms interested in joining the QWE Paralegal Scheme or finding out more about working with Kent Law School’s Solicitors’ Practice students can contact: Darren Weir: d.weir@kent.ac.uk.
