Renewed enthusiasm for apprenticeships in recent years and the introduction of the Government’s Trail Blazer Initiative has led to an increase in the range of occupations offering apprenticeships, including in the legal sector.
Apprenticeships are geared towards high achieving school-leavers, giving them an opportunity to enter the workplace and secure a job without going to university.
One of the most recent, exciting innovations in the legal profession is the introduction of the solicitor apprenticeship, offering an opportunity for apprentices to qualify as solicitors through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) without needing to undertake a university degree. The law apprenticeship route combines a paid job with a law firm, while studying for formal qualifications that are funded by the employer and the government.
While the university was, and is still, the major route to professional qualification for solicitors, solicitors, in fact, have never been required to hold a degree as a condition to practise law, as indicated by the Law Society. Law apprenticeships are a great option for a person seeking to start working right away after completing their schooling.
Many law firms employ apprentices today in various capacities, providing an appealing environment for school-leavers to gain experience of working life in a dynamic, thriving practice while earning an apprenticeship that could be degree-equivalent and meets the requirements to fully qualify as a solicitor via the SQE.
