Law apprenticeships

Author
Jemma Smith, Senior editor
Posted
July, 2025

You don't have to study at university to enter the legal profession. Instead, you can earn while you learn to become a paralegal, chartered legal executive or solicitor. Find out more about law apprenticeships

Law apprenticeships exist in the form of government-backed, employer-designed 'trailblazer' schemes, which cater for apprentices working towards three broad levels:

legal administration/support听

Each can be taken as a stand-alone apprenticeship or can be linked for those who want to progress between roles.

  • Set at GCSE level,听the CILEx Level 2 Diploma for Legal Secretaries听teaches you about secretarial work in a legal environment, with a focus on either legal information processing or legal studies. An advanced, Level 3 (set at A-level) Certificate/Diploma for Legal Secretaries is also available.
  • 罢丑别听Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship听takes two years to complete. You'll get an introduction to law and practice, legal research and client care skills. Upon completion, you can work towards the Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice (with exemptions) or the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship.
  • 罢丑别听Level 6 Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship听takes five years to complete and is only available for apprentices who have completed the Paralegal pathway or those who have completed CILEx Level 3 qualifications. The scheme qualifies participants to work as chartered legal executives and provides exemptions from some units of the Solicitor Apprenticeship pathway.
  • 罢丑别听Solicitor Apprenticeship听is a six-year, Level 7 degree apprenticeship programme aimed at post A-level students, paralegals and chartered legal executives. The period of study is reduced for those who progress from other legal apprenticeships. The scheme covers all the content in an undergraduate programme and enables apprentices to gain a听law degree听补苍诲听LLM (Masters). Once you've completed the apprenticeship and passed the centralised听Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)听you'll qualify as a solicitor. In order to achieve this, apprentices must sit parts one and two of the SQE. Stage one will form part of the on-programme assessment, while stage two will be the end-point assessment, which must be taken during the last six months of your apprenticeship.
  • Level 7听barrister听apprenticeships, mirroring the format of solicitor apprenticeships, are in development after being approved by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). The apprenticeship has been designed by a group including barristers' chambers (Trinity Chambers, St Philips Chambers and Cornwall Street Chambers), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Government Legal Department and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). In December 2024 杨贵妃传媒, the IfATE published the . A decision now needs to be made on how to move forward and implement the standard; as such, there are currently no barrier apprenticeships to apply for.

What are graduate solicitor apprenticeships?

Basically, they're a fast-track route to qualifying as a solicitor via an apprenticeship.

While traditional solicitor apprenticeships are aimed at school leavers, take six years to complete and include studying for a university degree, graduate solicitor apprenticeships, by contrast, are aimed at those who already hold a degree. This means they take less time to complete, usually two to three years.

However, like solicitor apprentices, graduate solicitor apprentices will split their time between on-the-job-training and studying and preparing for the SQE.

A number of firms, such as Hill Dickinson, Michelmores, Kennedy's and Weightmans now offer听graduate solicitor apprenticeships, but they remain a relatively new and evolving addition to the way in which you can qualify as a solicitor.

How are law apprenticeships funded?

The apprenticeship route is a popular choice as all study and training costs are funded by the government and your employer. It means that spiring legal professionals can train to become legal secretaries, paralegals, chartered legal executives and solicitors without the financial burden of university or training provider fees.

While the Department for Education (DfE) considered cutting funding to Level 7 apprenticeships (this would have included solicitor apprenticeships), as part of the government's broader cost-cutting measures, it has recently been confirmed that funding will remain in place for Level 7 apprenticeship schemes as long as those starting them are aged between 16 and 21.

Once an apprentice has started a scheme, funding will remain in place for the duration of the programme. For example, if you start a solicitor apprenticeship aged 20, funding will be in place until you鈥檝e completed your training aged 25 or 26.

These changes will come into effect from January 2026, when funding for anyone starting a Level 7 apprenticeship aged 21 or over will stop.

The age cap of 21 for Level 7 apprenticeship funding puts the future of graduate solicitor apprenticeships in doubt.

Which law firms offer apprenticeships?

Two magic circle law firms (A&O Shearman and Linklaters) already run apprenticeships schemes, with both听Slaughter and May听and Freshfields joining the list in September 2025 with their first intake of solicitor apprentices. Clifford Chance currently runs a paralegal apprenticeship programme.

This is not an exhaustive list; instead, it's a sample of firms that run apprenticeship schemes. Please be aware that vacancies are not always available year-round. To find out whether an organisation you're interested in offers apprenticeships and is recruiting, search their website. Learn more about听top UK law firms.

You could also consider legal apprenticeship training providers such as听, which offers paralegal, solicitor and graduate solicitor schemes.

The majority of law apprenticeships are aimed at school leavers or career changers seeking an听alternative to university. However, some legal apprenticeships require you to have more than GCSEs or A-levels.

For example, the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship isn't recommended for school leavers; instead, you'll need to have completed the Paralegal pathway or have completed CILEx Level 3 qualifications in legal services.

For the graduate solicitor apprenticeship you'll need to have completed a law degree, or a non-law degree and a conversion course for entry.

Law apprenticeship entry requirements

Individual law firms set their own entry requirements but the government's recommended minimum requirements for the majority of legal schemes are:

  • five GCSEs, including mathematics and English - grade 4 (C) or above (or equivalent)
  • three A-levels (or equivalent) - minimum grade C.

and/or

  • relevant employer-led work experience
  • Level 3 advanced apprenticeship in a relevant role - business administration, legal services, and providing financial services
  • Level 4 higher apprenticeship in a relevant job - legal services, professional services, and providing financial services (may be entitled to exemptions from training)
  • paralegal apprenticeship (may be entitled to exemptions from training)
  • legal executive apprenticeship (may be entitled to exemptions from training)
  • law degree/Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)/Legal Practice Course (LPC) (both may be entitled to exemptions from training).

Research your chosen apprenticeship pathway carefully and contact potential employers to ensure that you have the qualifications to gain a place on the scheme.

What do law apprenticeships involve?

This largely depends on which apprenticeship pathway you take. Most schemes enable you to carry out paid employment in a law firm or an in-house legal team while gaining professional qualifications. You'll typically work 30 hours per week under the supervision of a mentor.

Those training for the Level 3 Intermediate Apprenticeship in Legal Administration will study a number of mandatory and optional units, alongside carrying out duties outlined by their employer. Units include:

  • communication in the business environment
  • family law
  • legal text processing
  • principles of criminal liability and conveyancing
  • proofreading in the legal environment
  • providing reception services
  • taking minutes in meetings
  • working in the legal environment.

If you take the Paralegal Apprenticeship, you'll carry out tasks such as:

  • attending court hearings where appropriate
  • carrying out legal research
  • communicating with internal and external clients
  • drafting legal documents and client correspondence
  • handling sensitive information
  • managing data and records.

'If you join a law firm as a solicitor apprentice, you will typically rotate through different practice areas (departments),' says Rupali Gosai, early careers adviser at听Dentons. 'Across your seats you might be involved in drafting documents, meeting with clients, researching legal cases, preparing court documents, or business development projects. You also may have the opportunity to go on a client or international secondment.' Expect to spend 20% of your working week on your studies.

All apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), which as of April 2025 stands at 拢7.55 per hour for apprentices under 19 and those over 19 in their first year.

Apprentices who have completed their first year and are aged 19 or over are entitled to the NMW for their age range.

However, the majority of legal employers pay their apprentices considerably more than the NMW, so don't let the idea of low pay put you off. Some firms also offer benefits such as:

  • childcare vouchers
  • discounted travel schemes
  • pension contribution
  • private medical cover.

'Salaries for apprentice solicitors vary from firm to firm and depend on where you are located in the country,' explains Rupali. 'In London, salaries are in the region of 拢24,000 to 拢27,000, while outside London they may be 拢16,000 to 拢22,000. The good thing is that your salary will usually increase annually and you'll incur no university debt.'

For example:

  • Charles Russell Speechlys pays a starting salary of 拢28,000 to apprentices on their solicitor scheme in London and 拢26,000 for those in Guildford.
  • CMS solicitor apprentices in London earn a starting salary of 拢30,000.
  • Irwin Mitchell pay their London solicitor apprentices 拢21,840 or 拢23,933 depending on the scheme.

Will I qualify as a solicitor?

This depends on which apprenticeship pathway you complete.

The Paralegal pathway and Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services don't qualify you to work as a solicitor, although it may be possible, upon completing these apprenticeships, to carry out further study and training (such as the solicitor apprenticeship) to qualify in this role.

The only direct route to qualifying as a solicitor through an apprenticeship is by completing the Solicitor or graduate solicitor pathway.

How do I apply for law apprenticeships?

Competition among school leavers for legal apprenticeships is fierce, so make sure that you research the firms you're applying to in order to tailor your application. Vacancies usually coincide with the end of the academic school year.

Application procedures vary between employers but typically require you to submit a听CV and cover letter听directly to the firm. For some vacancies you may need to fill out an application form. Read the job advert carefully to ensure you meet any additional application requirements. Discover more about听applying for an apprenticeship听and take a look at our听apprenticeship cover letter example.

Find out more

Written by Jemma Smith, Senior editor

杨贵妃传媒 · July 2025

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