Hi everyone,
Looking for some honest advice/opinions from people who’ve done the SQE 1 self-study route, especially anyone coming from a civil law background.
For context:
- I already completed a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences (Politics, Communications & Sociology), fully taught in English.
- I’m now finishing a Belgian law degree (civil law system).
- Next academic year (2026–2027), I only have 5 law courses left to complete, after which I'll have my LLB.
- Those courses run roughly February–May, with exams in June (though I could defer 2–3 exams to the August/September resit period if needed).
- If relevant, 22 years old , trilingual (dutch, english , french)
Currently living between Belgium & the UK (married to a Brit), will be permanently based in the UK from September onwards and I want to sit SQE1 in July 2027.
From September 2026 until January 2027 I basically have no university obligations or courses, so my plan is:
- look for a part-time legal job/internship in the UK for experience,
- and intensely self-study for SQE1 during that period.
Realistically I think I could consistently study:
- around 15–20 hours/week from September–January,
- and around 10–15 hours/week from February–May alongside my remaining Belgian law courses.
- If absolutely necessary, I could push closer to 20 hrs/week and defer some Belgian exams to August/September.
I know coming from civil law instead of common law is an extra challenge, but I’ve already had some courses covering the history/foundations of English common law, and during this academic year I’ve also been casually reading books/watching lectures/videos on English common law in my free time.
My main questions are:
- Does this timeline sound realistically achievable for SQE1 July 2027?
- Has anyone here done something similar coming from a civil law jurisdiction?
- Would self-study realistically be enough, or should I strongly consider a prep course? (not a fan of this due to the extortionate prices, not interested in doing student loans either)
- Any recommendations for resources, strategies, or things civil law graduates usually underestimate when preparing for the SQE?
Would really appreciate honest feedback, especially from international candidates or anyone who transitioned from civil law to common law.
Thank you in advance!