SQE2: Supplementary Books & Materials

Updated November 2024

In SQE1 & SQE2: Key Books & Materials, I listed the main books needed to prepare for SQE1&2.  Those books cover all legal topics for both exams and no further material is technically required. That said, I wanted to pull together a list of additional resources for those who’d like further information for SQE2.

As I’ve mentioned, I wrote the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS), rather than the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, and I studied alone.  Part 2 of the QLTS was a multiday practical skills test known as the OSCE (akin to what is now the SQE2 assessment).  To prepare for the QLTS/OSCE I used only the “LPC Manuals” from Oxford University Press (OUP) (mentioned in my previous post SQE1 & SQE2: Key Books & Materials).  This series is useful, but I know that some lawyers feel the books are too long and too detailed.  Some didn’t use them because they were short on time, and simply could not get through each text.  Additionally, the books are not the greatest help in practicing certain skills.  The information on drafting and advocacy, for example, is quite thin.  

Some candidates may therefore want additional resources in order to prepare for the second part of the SQE.  In this post I’ve outlined a number of supplementary resources that may be of use. 

Again, whatever materials (or combination of materials) you rely on, be sure to stay well acquainted with the SRA’s SQE2 Assessment Specification, and use it as a syllabus to guide your SQE2 studying.     

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Certain links in this post are affiliate links (those identified with asterisks (*)).  Where a sale is made through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission – at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for your support of my site. 

Additional SQE Study Material

I. Revise SQE: Legal Skills for SQE2 from Fink Publishing Ltd. (FPL)*

The team behind the Revise SQE series has also produced SQE2 guides. These guides are interesting because – along with books specific to advocacy and writing – there are books specific to each SQE2 subject area.

Each book explains how candidates will be assessed (in the legal skills of Case and Matter Analysis, Legal Research, Legal Writing and Legal Drafting) in the context of the different legal subjects. They include SQE2-style practice questions, with sample answers and commentary – explaining how the answers compare to SRA competency requirements.

The guides are available as paperbacks and as eBooks.

• Written Skills in Dispute Resolution – Chadderton and Sixsmith / Available here on the Revise SQE website

• Written Skills in Property Practice – Mynard-Gates / Available here on the Revise SQE website

• Written Skills in Business Organisations, Rules and Procedures – Mehta / Available here on the Revise SQE website

• Written Skills in Criminal Litigation – TBC / Available here on the Revise SQE website (from April 2025)

• Written Skills in Wills and Intestacy, Probate Administration and Practice – TBC / Available here on the Revise SQE website (from January 2025)

• Oral Skills in Client Interviewing and Negotiation – Parry & Rees / Available here on the Revise SQE website (from January 2025)

• Oral Skills in Advocacy – Thomas, Chadderton & Ball / Available here on the Revise SQE website (from March 2025)

• Introduction to Written Legal Skills – Brown / Available here on the Revise SQE website (from January 2025)

II. SQE2 Outlines & SQE2 Courses from INHOUSEW (IHW)*

INHOUSEW provides succinct SQE2 assistance – including videos, revision notes and practice exams – that can be purchased individually or in packages.

IHW also provides a lot of valuable SQE info, free of charge – so I’d encourage you to check out their resource library, blog, and Insta reels. Specifically, INHOUSEW offers the following for SQE2:

• SQE2 outlines – These are comprehensive note summaries covering all SRA assessment areas. ie. short-form, bullet-point notes for those who may be short on time, or who just want the key details. There are separate outlines for Business, Dispute Resolution, Wills, Property and Criminal Litigation – and you can purchase as many or as few as you want. You can find out more about the SQE2 outlines here.

• SQE2 mini-courses – If you’re looking for more support, IHW also provides fuller SQE2 revision packages. These include the outlines mentioned above, as well as short video lectures, and mock exams (with answers). There are many different purchase options, and candidates can buy one, some, or all SQE2 subjects. Here’s a link to IHW’s SQE2 Courses.

III. Law Drills by Practice Works (PW)*

Law Drills is a new AI-powered question bank. As the name implies, it’s focussed on practice drills ie. testing your legal knowledge through the many questions on the platform.

For SQE2 Law Drills uses both MCQs and short-answer questions to help reinforce legal concepts. As users answer questions, the platform identifies their weak spots (and then tailors future questions to these specific knowledge gaps). Explanations are provided, and users can chat with an AI-assistant alongside each question. The assistant provides fuller explanations of concepts, related legal information, tips and more.

Law Drills is available on desktop and as an app – and you can try out both for free. If you’d like to sign up you can use the code SQESELFSTUDY to get 10% off.

IV. Legal Systems & Skills: Learn, Develop, Apply (5th ed.) from Oxford University Press (OUP)* – Embley, Goodchild, Shephard and Slorach

Legal Systems & Skills contains guidance on each of the skills assessed in SQE2, including case and matter analysis, oral communication, interviews, presentations, etc.  There’s also additional material on professional conduct and ethics.  

It is available as a paperback and also as an eBook.  You can find it here on Amazon.

V. Skills for Lawyers (2024/25) from the College of Law Publishing (CLP)* – Elkington, Holtam, Shield and Verlander

Skills for Lawyers covers writing and drafting, interviewing and advising, negotiation and advocacy, and legal research.  It includes self-test exercises and case studies. 

You can find it on Kindle and in hard copy here on Amazon.

VI. Oral Skills for Lawyers (3rd ed.) & Written Skills for Lawyers (3rd ed.) from the University of Law (UOL)* – Blow & Kempton 

These 2 books from UOL cover advocacy, interviewing skills, attendance notes and legal analysis (in Oral Skills), as well as legal writing, drafting, research and case matter analysis (in Written Skills).

They are both available in hard-copy and as eBooks.   You can find Oral Skills here on Amazon.  Written Skills is available here on Amazon.

VII. Skilfully Passing the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (2nd ed.)* by Neeta Halai

This book provides practical guidance on how to approach both SQE1&2.  There is a separate chapter devoted to each assessment in SQE2, and it also covers communication skills, qualifying work experience (QWE), writing in professional English and managing nerves.

Skilfully is available as a paperback and also on Kindle.  You can find it here on Amazon.

VIII. Lawyers’ Skills (2019/20) from Oxford University Press (OUP)* –  Webb, Maughan, Keppel-Palmer and Boon

Lawyers’ Skills is also by OUP, creator of the “LPC Manuals”.  It contains guidance on key skills including legal writing and drafting, interviewing and advising, practical legal research, and advocacy. There are diagrams and self-test questions throughout.

The text is available as a paperback, but not on Kindle. You can find it here on Amazon.

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I hope that the above is helpful. If you’ve used any of these resources, or have others to add, please drop a note in the comments. 

Lastly, if you’re looking for SQE2 practice questions, make sure check out my next post – SQE2: Sample Questions & Mock Exams (for Free) – where I discuss all freely available resources.

Best,

Lawyer in London