SQE2 legal writing example: a client email

This SQE2 legal writing example is a full client email in a dispute resolution matter, annotated to show the structure, tone and law that assessors reward. Use it with the SQE2 legal writing skill page and test your own email on a timed practice task.

Typical time30 minutes

Example areaDispute Resolution

Marked onSkills, law and ethics

Try a free SQE2 client interview

Talk to an AI client by voice or text, write the attendance note, and get estimated grades against the published criteria. No sign-up.

Start free interview

The task

Your client, Hannah Brooks, runs a bakery as a limited company, Brooks Bakes Ltd. Eight weeks ago the company bought a commercial oven for £14,500 from Cartwright Equipment Ltd. It has failed three times. Cartwright has said it will repair it but has not come. Hannah asks: can she return the oven and get her money back, and what should she do now? The facts are invented. The instruction is to write a short email to the client in about 30 minutes.

Writing tasks test whether you can give clear, correct, client-focused advice in a suitable style. The reader is a non-lawyer who must be able to act on your email.

The worked email

Subject: Your oven: you may be able to reject it, and what to do this week

Dear Hannah,

Short answer. You probably can return the oven and ask for the £14,500 back, but you should act now, because the right to reject is lost if you wait too long. I recommend you write to Cartwright this week.

Why. Your company bought the oven in the course of its business. Because Cartwright sells such goods in the course of its business, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 requires the oven to be of satisfactory quality and fit for its purpose. An oven that fails three times in eight weeks is unlikely to meet that standard. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 does not help here, because your company is not a consumer.

The risk. A buyer can reject goods for breach of these terms only within a reasonable time. If you keep using the oven, Cartwright may say you have accepted it. Your right to damages would remain, but returning the oven and getting a refund would be harder. Please keep the oven switched off unless you must use it, and keep a note of each failure with dates.

Your options.

Reject the oven and ask for a full refund. This is my recommendation. It gives you your money and an end to the problem.
Accept a repair and claim your losses, such as lost sales while it was broken. Agreeing to a repair does not by itself mean you have accepted the oven, but each week you keep it makes a refund harder to obtain.
Negotiate a replacement. This is practical if you still need an oven soon.

Cost and time. A letter from us should cost a modest amount and may be enough. If it is not, the court process is likely to take months, and if you lose you may have to pay part of Cartwright's legal costs. I will give you a figure once I have read the contract.

Next steps. Please send me (1) the contract and delivery note, (2) any emails with Cartwright, and (3) your list of failures by Friday. I will then write to Cartwright, rejecting the oven and asking for a refund within 14 days. I will also check the contract for any clause that limits Cartwright's liability. Under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 such a clause works only if it is reasonable.

Kind regards,
Alex Morgan, Solicitor

Why this email works

The answer comes first. The client does not have to read to the end to find out what to do. This follows the client-focused style assessors expect.

Each paragraph has a label and one job. The structure is visible, so a busy reader can find the risk and the next steps at once.

The law is brief and applied. It names the statute, the standard and the consequence for this oven. The statement that the Consumer Rights Act does not apply shows you chose the right regime. Candidates often use consumer law for a business buyer, which is a serious error.

It gives options with a recommendation, and it is honest about cost and uncertainty ("probably"). It also tells the client what to do and by when.

What an assessor looks for

Relevant facts used, irrelevant ones left out.
A logical structure with the answer up front.
Clear, precise and concise language with no legal jargon unexplained.
Style and format right for the reader: an email, not a memo.
Correct, comprehensive application of law, including time limits and the right regime.
Ethics: you must not overstate the prospects, and you must tell the client about costs.

The SRA grades each criterion from A (superior) to F (extremely poor).

Common mistakes

Starting with background the client already knows.
Using the wrong law, such as consumer law for a business buyer.
Pages of analysis without a recommendation.
Promising a result.
Forgetting the next step, or the cost.
Legal terms with no explanation.

Aim for one screen of text per main point. If your email needs scrolling for the answer, move the answer up.

Checklist

Who is the reader and what can they do next?
Answer in the first two sentences.
Reasons, tied to the facts.
Risks, including time limits.
Options with a recommendation.
Costs and timing.
Next steps with a date.
Read once for plain English and once for law.

Questions

What is an SQE2 legal writing task?

It is a 30-minute task in which you write a letter, email or note to a client or another party, applying law to the facts in a clear style. It is marked on skills and application of law.

How long should an SQE2 legal writing answer be?

Keep it as short as the task allows. Usually one to two pages, with the answer in the first paragraph, is enough.

Should I use headings in an SQE2 email?

Short headings or bold labels help a busy client find the answer, risk and next steps. Do not overdo them.

Do I need to cite cases in a client email?

Rarely. Name the key statute or rule if it helps, but explain the point in plain words. Cases are for the reasoning, not the client.

Sources: SRA: The SQE2 assessment (presentation); Law Society: SQE1 and SQE2 assessments; Legislation.gov.uk: Sale of Goods Act 1979. Checked 10 November 2026.