The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law 2023

Apprenticeships

You don’t have to go to university for a career in the legal profession – a legal apprenticeship enables you to gain qualifications while in paid work, through on-the-job training at a law firm or other employer. Legal apprentices can eventually become solicitors, chartered legal executives or paralegals without the tuition fees and accommodation costs involved with going to university. Some types of apprenticeship take 18 months to complete, but the more advanced levels provide training over five or six years – around the same amount of time as it would take to qualify through the university route. You don’t have to start paying a student loan back until you’re in a job paying at least £27,295 a year, so high fees shouldn’t necessarily put you off higher education. But there are many reasons why you might decide that going to university isn’t right for you and a legal apprenticeship is a genuine – and free – alternative. This section is a basic introduction to legal apprenticeships. To learn more, read the companion to this guide, The Law Apprenticeships Guide , for everything you need to know about the different types of apprenticeship. Pick up a free copy from your school or read it online at LawCareers.Net. Am I eligible? To become a legal apprentice, you must be 16 or over, not in full-time education and a UK citizen/someone who has right of residency in the UK. Most legal apprenticeships require five GCSEs (or equivalent) graded 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths and English. The paralegal apprenticeship requires at least two A levels, while the solicitor apprenticeship requires three A levels, with grade requirements varying between employers from CCC to AAB. Earn and learn The minimum wage for an apprentice under the age of 19 is £4.81 an hour (as of 1 April 2022), as well as for people aged over 19 who are in the first year of their apprenticeship. All apprentices over the age of 19 are paid at least the National Minimum Wage for their age group. There are four levels of legal apprenticeship.

Intermediate, legal administration or business administration apprenticeship Intermediate apprenticeships are aimed at school leavers who don’t have A levels. Apprentices develop the skills to manage legal cases on an administrative level. Paralegal apprenticeship The paralegal apprenticeship trains apprentices in the skills needed to work in a certain area of law (eg, personal injury). Paralegals support solicitors on legal matters and do many of the same tasks. Find out more about paralegals on the next page.

Chartered legal executive apprenticeship

This programme trains apprentices to qualify as chartered legal executives, a type of lawyer that’s similar to a solicitor. Candidates don’t usually start this apprenticeship straight after leaving school – it’s recommended to complete another qualification first, such as a paralegal apprenticeship. Solicitor apprenticeship This apprenticeship is a six-year programme that integrates studying for a law degree with on-the-job training at a law firm or other organisation, ending in qualification as a solicitor via the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

Other ways of qualifying as a lawyer via apprenticeships include the graduate solicitor apprenticeship and in-house apprenticeships. Those qualifying via these routes will also complete the SQE as part of their apprenticeship.