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Law Apprenticeships Guide

Introduction To Law Apprenticeships
Are you really attracted to the idea of legal jobs and careers but do not want to go to university to study Law? Whether for financial reasons - or purely because you just don’t want to go - lots of young people who want a career in law are now rightfully considering alternative options to university.

Because they offer structured, on the job training, qualifications - and a decent wage, too - Law apprenticeships are now seen as a very credible and viable option. Previously, a career in Law was reserved for those who went to university to do a Law degree before beginning their climb up the career ladder. Now, however, Legal Apprenticeships are a very real alternative.

This is an exciting time to apply for Law Apprenticeships as the government and legal institutes have been working closely together over recent years to develop meaningful pathways where you can develop your Law career in the way you want to by way of Legal Apprenticeships at various levels.

Eversheds More info

Eversheds

Nationwide

6 years

Eversheds knows how to develop talent. our apprenticeship programme is designed to help you develop skills for life in the workplace. Trailblazer level seven solicitor apprenticeships represent a revolution in legal training, giving you the chance to become a qualified solicitor without incurring the costs associated with going into full-time education and law school.

Lexlaw More info

Lexlaw

London

15 - 30 months

If you are a young person with good GCSEs or A Levels, our new legal apprenticeship scheme offers a great alternative to studying law at university. As a legal apprentice, you support the firm’s solicitors and barristers and follow their guidance whilst yourself training to qualify as a lawyer.

How Law Apprenticeships Vary?
As with other types of Apprenticeships, there are different levels of Law Apprenticeships that you can do. Also, depending on your qualifications and the areas of law you would like to specialise in, you could be working in different places from top specialist law firms to independent practices, to in house legal departments of a variety of companies.

Or, are you serious about becoming a solicitor? Well, guess what: you can now also do Solicitor Apprenticeships! Great news, yes? Solicitor Apprenticeships are brand new for 2016 and mean you can begin your on the job training straight away without the need for full time study at university. The legal sector really is changing that fast and you could be a part of that change.

What Is Involved With Apprenticeships In Law?
In the past, those who were not qualified as solicitors would be working in paralegal jobs, assisting in legal departments with a range of duties. This could be anything from simple administrative tasks to helping to prepare legal cases, depending on the level of experience. Now, with the introduction of Apprenticeships in Law, these paralegal jobs have a more structured pathway and it means you are working towards recognised qualifications, taking your law career in the direction you want to focus in.

Depending on the type of legal apprenticeship you want to do and the law firm or company you hope to work with, there will be different criteria for acceptance onto particular law apprenticeship programmes. Just like university entry requirements, some Law and Legal Executive Apprenticeships will require you to have at least 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at grades A-C, including Maths and English and also 3 A-Levels at grades A-B.

If you are a school leaver, looking for Law Apprenticeships for 16 year olds, then don’t worry. There are still opportunities for legal assistant jobs out there for you, too. You might be able to find opportunities where you can begin an Apprenticeship in Legal Administration which is a great stepping stone.

Law Apprenticeships will see you learning on the job and there will be classroom elements, too. Just how much study is involved and how long the apprenticeship takes to complete will depend on the type of Law Apprenticeships you are doing. What is guaranteed is that you will be learning valuable skills on the job, getting qualifications and earning a wage at the same time. And for those of you that are based in the capital, for some firms who offer law apprenticeships, London has an extra financial allowance just to ease those purse strings a little.

Intermediate Level Law Apprenticeships
This is a section that would have remained empty a short time ago but, as we said, the world of Law Apprenticeships is continually evolving, improving and standardising. Up until recently, Apprenticeships in Law started at Advanced Level - but now, legal apprenticeships are also available at intermediate level. You can now do an Intermediate Apprenticeship in Legal Administration.

What Qualifications Will I Gain In Intermediate Level Law Apprenticeships?

The Intermediate Apprenticeships in Legal Administration will generally take around 12 months to complete, and, at the end, you will receive a professional qualification; a Level 2 Diploma in Legal Administration. Most young people who do the Intermediate Apprenticeship in Legal Administration are school leavers who already have GCSEs and / or A-Levels (or equivalent) under their belt - and it’s a great starting point if you want to dip your toes into the legal world and see if a law career really is for you.

Advanced ApprenticeshipsIn Law
These are the Advanced Apprenticeships in Legal Services, and, if you choose this path, you will have either already completed the Intermediate Legal Administration Apprenticeships or you might be already working for a law firm doing paralegal jobs.

Legal Services Apprenticeships could see you doing a variety of roles, depending on the firm you are working with. You could be working in specialist areas such as:
  • Employment Law
  • Family Law
  • Property
  • Civil Litigation
Legal Services Apprenticeships usually take around 2 years to complete and it is during this time where you will really begin to carry out research for cases and prepare documents for court and communicating with clients.

What Qualifications Will I Gain In Advanced Level Law Apprenticeships?

Once you have successfully completed any of the Advanced Apprenticeships in Legal Services, you will be awarded a Level 3 Diploma from institutes such as CILEx (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives) which is the equivalent of A Levels. The classroom element of Advanced Legal Apprenticeships can be at a learning centre, within the workplace (but off the job) or it might also be done via distance learning.

Higher Level Law Apprenticeships
Now we are really taking things to the next level with Higher Level Legal Services Apprenticeships.

For Higher Level Apprenticeships in Legal Services, you will be working for a law firm or doing in-house legal jobs for a company. Higher Level Law Apprenticeships do not qualify you as a solicitor. They offer you the chance to develop your skills and knowledge of paralegal jobs whilst also gaining a nationally recognised qualification. You will do senior paralegal jobs such as:
  • Senior claims handler
  • Commercial litigation
  • Debt recovery and insolvency
What Qualifications Will I Gain In Higher Level Law Apprenticeships?

On successful completion of the Higher Level Apprenticeships in Legal Services, you will have a nationally recognised degree-level qualification.

Do You Want To Become A Solicitor?
And an exciting new addition for 2016...

For those who make the grade, it is now even possible to do Law Apprenticeships where you will eventually become a solicitor. This is all as part of the government’s Trailblazer

Apprenticeships Scheme and the Solicitor Apprenticeship will take five to six years to complete.

To embark on the Solicitor Apprenticeship straight away, without any previous legal work experience or qualifications, you will need to have 5 GCSEs at grades A-C (including Maths and English) and also 3 A-Levels at grade C or above. There will also be assessments to complete throughout your Apprenticeship.

Apply For Law Apprenticeships In The UK
When it comes to Law Apprenticeships, we really are in fast moving and fluid times - and now should be a really exciting time to begin your career in Law.

Legal Services Apprenticeships have opened the door to lots of the UK’s young talent (that’s you!) who previously felt that door was closed to them because full time study at university was not a pathway they wanted to take.

Law Apprenticeships mean you will be doing legal jobs where you earn a wage while you learn and gain qualifications, missing out on the debt and fees that come with full time university study.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to take advantage of these innovative Apprenticeships in Legal Services and kickstart your successful career in Law by checking out the current vacancies below.

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