Breakdown of routes to admission
The number of solicitors being admitted to the roll in England and Wales has increased.
The table below provides a breakdown of those admitted in the 12 months to end of September 2026 and the 12 months to end of September 2025 by their routes to qualification.
In the 12 months to end of September 2026, 43% of new solicitors took the Legal Practice Course followed by a period of recognised training. The most popular route is now the SQE route.
| Date(s) | Legal Practice Course followed by a period of recognised training | Chartered Legal Executives (CiLEX) & Assistant Justices; Clerks | Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme | Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test | SQE | Registered European Lawyer | Equivalent Means | Republic of Ireland Exempt | Northern Ireland Exempt | Other/ Unknown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2025 to September 2026 | 4143 (43%) |
170 (2%) |
2 |
2 (0%) |
4941 (51%) |
0 (0%) |
136 (1%) |
153 (2%) |
68 (1%) |
0 (0%) |
9,615 |
| October 2024 to September 2025 |
5881 (61%) |
148 (2%) |
5 (0%) |
3 (0%) |
3336 (34%) |
0 (0%) |
111 (1%) |
157 (2%) |
56 (1%) |
1 (0%) |
9,698 |