We offer Solicitor Apprenticeships in our London and Guildford offices.
Law is an exciting career prospect for many, but university isn’t always the right choice for every person. Whether you want to avoid university fees or you are keen to get stuck in and work straight away, our Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme gives you to a great alternative route to qualify as a Solicitor.
Our established programme has been running for 6 years so we know how to help you achieve your goals and how to support you along the way.
Our Solicitor Apprenticeship programme is a 6-year programme, during which you will complete an LLB in Legal Practice, undertake the SQE 1 and SQE 2 exams, and complete 2 years of Qualifying Work Experience. Across all 6 years, you will work in our London or Guildford office for 35 hours per week, 4 days will be spent working in our practice groups and one day will be allocated to study.
During the first 4 years, you’ll be studying towards your law degree with our academic partner, the University of Law. You’ll spend a year in 4 different practice areas where you’ll be involved in many of the day to day tasks of a trainee lawyer. By the end of the 4 years, you’ll have had broad exposure to our firm and an in depth understanding of the 4 teams you’ve sat in.
In year 5 and 6, you’ll be studying for the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exams whilst rotating into a new team every 6 months. Throughout your Apprenticeship you will experience a range of different practice areas and get involved in high quality work with both private and commercial clients.
Some of your key tasks as a solicitor apprentice may include:
• Drafting documents and correspondence
• Assisting partners and associates with various tasks
• Liaising with clients, other law firms and third parties including Local Authorities, Companies House etc.
• Conducting legal research
• As you gain more experience, you’ll be given more responsibility such as attending client meetings with your supervisor and running parts of files
Training & Support
Throughout your Apprenticeship programme and in addition to your studies you will receive regular training. This could come in the form of on-the-job training with your supervisor, or more formal training sessions through the Charles Russell Speechlys’ Business School.
In each group that you work in you will be assigned a dedicated supervisor who will work with you to ensure that you are developing the required skills and knowledge and will also assist you with your portfolio. You will also receive support from Human Resources throughout your apprenticeship.
In addition to this, you will have a personal tutor at the University of Law who will meet you at regular intervals throughout the programme.
We place a strong emphasis on pro-bono work during your training contract, and you’ll have the opportunity to support our Social Housing, Family or Employment pro-bono clinics alongside our other programmes such as Disability Benefits appeals. You can find out more in our Responsible Business reports on our website.
In the latter part of the apprenticeship, we also encourage our Apprentices to go on a secondment. This helps you build a wider skillset and see things from a client’s perspective, or will enhance your international outlook by gaining exposure to work in a different jurisdiction. Secondments vary depending on business need, but our current international secondment opportunities include Private Client in our Swiss offices, or a mixture of practice areas in our Hong Kong, Dubai, Luxembourg or Paris offices.
Your legal training will also be supplemented by our CRS Business School which has specific development programmes for each stage of your career, including the Ignite programme which is designed for Apprentices to build professional and commercial skills.
Salary & Benefits
You will earn a starting salary of £25,000 in London or £23,000 in Guildford which will increase as your progress through the apprenticeship programme.
You will also be entitled to the full range of staff benefits including:
- 25 days annual holiday and long service accrual
- Private medical insurance
- Income protection
- Life assurance
- Pension scheme
- Employee assistance programme
- Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption/surrogacy and shared parental benefits
- Virtual GP access
- Cycle to work scheme
- Season ticket loan
- Qualification leave
- Holiday purchase scheme
- House move day
- Dress for your day policy