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Thursday 24th September 2026

Diary of a Once Trainee Solicitor - Sixth and Final Entry.

Well, I will skip the suspense and giddily announce that I am officially a qualified solicitor!

When I wrote my last diary entry, I had yet to sit SQE2 and was very much in the depths of studying for what I can now confidently say was a tremendously difficult set of exams. Thankfully, I also now feel qualified to say that because I passed!

It is difficult to condense my entire training experience into one final diary entry because, in reality, the journey did not begin with my training contract. It encompasses the three years I spent at university, my A Levels and GCSEs, and everything that came before. It feels as though years of continuous hard work have finally culminated in this moment.

I did not take a gap year. I started my training contract at Rundlewalker before I had even graduated from the University of Exeter. Within a few months of starting work, I began studying for the SQE, completing all of that study alongside my full-time role.

In my experience, qualifying as a solicitor takes a huge amount of sacrifice. I am also very conscious of the opportunities I have had along the way. I was fortunate to be privately educated, to attend university and to be in a position to self-fund my SQE preparation and any additional resources I needed. That privilege should not be overlooked. However, having now come through the process, I also believe there is something else at the heart of it: how much do you want it?

The SQE is tough. Extremely tough. There are no shortcuts and there are no cheat codes. It takes hard work, consistency and discipline. If I had to describe my own experience, I would say it was probably 1% motivation and 99% discipline.

Now, being on the other side of it as a qualified solicitor, the feeling is nothing short of rewarding. I am only 23 and, when I think about everything that has gone into reaching this point, I am incredibly proud of what I have achieved.

A final word on the SQE.

There is a lot of discussion, and often negativity, surrounding the SQE and how it compares with the previous LPC route. I do not want to add to the fearmongering. Instead, I want to say this to anyone who desperately wants to become a solicitor but feels terrified by the SQE: you can do it.

You do, however, have to be prepared to put the work in.

The amount and type of work required will be different for everyone. One of the most important things you can do is take the time to understand how you learn and retain information best. The SQE will expose your strengths and, perhaps more importantly, your weaknesses very quickly. Identify those weaknesses early and work on them consistently.

It is an endurance exercise, but you also have to be smart about how you approach it. If you are consistently strong in Criminal Law but repeatedly scoring lower in Business Law, for example, there is little sense in dividing your revision time equally between the two. Focus your time where you need it most.

Similarly, if stamina and concentration are your weaknesses, practise sitting mock exams under timed conditions. Get accustomed to concentrating for long periods and performing when you are tired.

For me, one of the simplest techniques was also one of the most effective: putting pen to paper. I took notes, read them before going to bed, pinned them to walls, made flashcards and created mind maps. Find what works for you and then do it consistently.

The SQE is not an exam you can simply fluke. Regardless of how academically capable you are, knowledge alone is not enough. You need to understand not only the content being examined, but also the format of the assessments and what is expected of you as a candidate.

Like most standardised assessments, the SQE cannot be individually tailored to every candidate. You therefore need to understand where the format works against your natural strengths and adapt your preparation accordingly. Work out what does not come naturally to you and practise it until it does.

Anyway, enough about the SQE. My main message is simple: you absolutely can do it.

The end of one journey and the beginning of another.

I now write this not as a trainee solicitor, but as a qualified solicitor, ready to embark on the next stage of my career.

I know the hard work does not stop here, and I am sure there will be plenty of new challenges ahead. But, for just a little while, I am going to allow myself to bask in this moment.

I am incredibly excited for what comes next. More importantly, after everything it has taken to get here, I feel ready for it.

And with that, my journey as a trainee solicitor comes to an end.

What a journey it has been.

I cannot begin to quantify the hours, hard work, stress, tears and determination that went into reaching this point. But I can finally say: I did it.

Maisie Rodford, X. 

P.S. You can read my first Diary entry HERE.
And my second Diary entry HERE.
My third Diary entry is HERE.
My fourth Diary entry is HERE.
My fifth Diary entry is HERE.

Maisie joined the firm in July 2024 as a Trainee Solicitor in the Family Law Team after graduating from Exeter University where she studied Sociology & Criminology. She has recently become a fully qualified solicitor during the Summer of 2026.
 
Outside of the office, Maisie enjoys walking, reading, and eating out!