SQE2 dispute resolution: what the tasks look like
SQE2 dispute resolution tasks centre on civil litigation in England and Wales: an advocacy task on an interim application on oral Day 1, and written tasks on written Day 1, which it shares with Criminal Litigation. You need the CPR, limitation, remedies and funding, and you need to be able to argue them.
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Where dispute resolution appears
The advocacy task in Dispute Resolution is on oral Day 1. Written Day 1 has four tasks across Dispute Resolution and Criminal Litigation: one case and matter analysis, one legal drafting, one legal research and one legal writing task. From 1 September 2026, ethics and professional conduct has its own separate law criterion in SQE2, so spot and deal with the ethics point in every task.
| Skill | Typical dispute resolution task |
|---|---|
| Advocacy | An interim application: set aside default judgment, relief from sanctions, interim injunction, summary judgment, adjournment, or a costs point. |
| Case and matter analysis | A contract or tort dispute file. Advise on merits, evidence, procedure and funding. |
| Legal research | A question on limitation, a CPR rule or a remedy. |
| Legal writing | A letter before claim, a response, or a client email on cost and risk. |
| Legal drafting | Particulars of claim, a defence, a witness statement or a Part 36 offer. |
Key law to have ready
- Overriding objective: CPR Part 1 and the duty to deal with cases justly and at proportionate cost, including the role of ADR.
- Pre-action conduct: the Practice Direction on pre-action conduct, letters of claim and response, and the court's power to sanction non-compliance.
- Starting and defending: Part 7 and Part 8 claims, service, time for response, acknowledgment, defence and counterclaim.
- Default judgment: when it can be entered (Part 12) and the rules for setting it aside (Part 13): mandatory where it was wrongly entered, discretionary where the defendant shows a real prospect of defending or another good reason, and acting promptly.
- Relief from sanctions: CPR 3.9 and the three-stage approach in Denton v TH White [2014] EWCA Civ 906: the seriousness of the breach, the reason for it, and all the circumstances.
- Interim remedies: the American Cyanamid approach to interim injunctions, summary judgment under Part 24, and security for costs.
- Offers and costs: Part 36, the general rule that the loser pays costs, and the effect of refusing ADR.
- Limitation: Limitation Act 1980, including the main periods for contract and tort and the rules on postponement.
- Funding: conditional fee agreements, damages-based agreements, before-the-event and after-the-event insurance, and legal aid in a narrow set of cases.
Build the base with the SQE1 pages on dispute resolution, contract law and tort.
Worked mini example
Your client, Ms Brennan, was served with a claim form and ignored it. Default judgment was entered for £19,500 against her. She now has a strong defence and wants it set aside. Opening of the application:
'Madam, I appear for the defendant, Ms Brennan, and I apply to set aside the default judgment under CPR Part 13. The judgment was regularly obtained, so the application is under CPR 13.3: I must show a real prospect of successfully defending the claim, or some other good reason. I will make three points. First, the defence is a complete one: the claim relates to goods that were never delivered, and I have the courier's signed non-delivery record. Second, the client acted promptly once she learned of the judgment, applying within seven days. Third, there is no prejudice to the claimant that cannot be put right by costs. I ask the court to set aside the judgment, give permission to file the defence in the form attached, and order that the costs of the application be dealt with as the court thinks fit.'
The structure is the same as in every advocacy task. Note the explicit test, the prompt application and the tailored order. The ethics trap here may be a client wanting to say she never received the claim form when the papers show she did. Do not put forward a statement you know to be untrue (Code para 1.4).
Common mistakes
- Quoting the wrong rule or confusing the mandatory and discretionary grounds for setting aside.
- Saying a defence is good without evidence to support it.
- Forgetting the speed of the application.
- Forgetting to ask for directions or costs.
- In written tasks, not covering pre-action steps or ADR.
- Missing a limitation issue.
- Not discussing funding and cost risk in client advice.
Dispute resolution checklist
- Court, track and parties.
- Limitation.
- Pre-action steps.
- Interim application tests.
- Part 36 and costs.
- Evidence needed.
- ADR and settlement.
- Funding.
- Ethics: duty to the court, conflict, confidentiality.
Skill pages: client interview, attendance note, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing and legal drafting. On SQE Mock you can practise a civil application before an AI judge.
Practise this now
Setting aside a default judgment for unpaid steelPassAdvocacy
Relief from sanctions after an unless orderPassAdvocacy
Interim injunction to enforce a client non-dealing covenantPassAdvocacy
Opposing summary judgment in a building price disputePassAdvocacy
Security for costs against a struggling company claimantPassAdvocacy
Extending time to serve a claim form after it expiredPassCase and matter analysis
Faulty commercial oven: report on a business claimPassCase and matter analysis
Buying a coffee business on false turnover figuresPassLegal drafting
Defence and counterclaim to a builder's final invoice claimPassLegal drafting
Settlement terms in a Tomlin orderPassLegal research
Was the claim form validly served by email?PassLegal research
Is a claim against a surveyor out of time?PassLegal writing
Advising a client on a Part 36 settlement offerPassLegal writing
Advising a client who refuses to mediate
Questions
What do SQE2 dispute resolution tasks cover?
Civil litigation: pre-action steps, starting and defending a claim, interim applications, evidence, costs, limitation, funding and ADR.
When is dispute resolution in SQE2?
The advocacy task is on oral Day 1. The written tasks are on written Day 1, with Criminal Litigation.
What advocacy tasks come up in dispute resolution?
Short interim applications such as setting aside default judgment, relief from sanctions, interim injunctions, summary judgment and adjournments. Learn the legal test for each.
Which cases should I know?
Know Denton v TH White for relief from sanctions and the American Cyanamid test for interim injunctions, as both are normally known by those names.
What SQE1 subjects help?
Dispute Resolution, Contract Law and Tort, all in FLK1.
Related
- SQE2 advocacy: how to prepare and perform
- SQE2 legal drafting: how to draft a document that works
- SQE1 Dispute Resolution
- SQE1 Contract Law
- FLK1: subjects, sessions and how to study
Sources: SRA presentation: The SQE2 assessment; SRA: Ethics and professional conduct changes for SQE2 after 1 September 2026; Civil Procedure Rules; Limitation Act 1980; SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs. Checked 10 November 2026.