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 become solicitors, CILEX Lawyers or paralegals without the tuition fees and accommodation costs associated with university. Some apprenticeships take 18 months to complete, but the more advanced levels provide training across five or six years – around the same time it’d take to qualify via the university route. You’ll start paying a student loan back when you’re earning at least £25,000 (depending on when you started university). So, although high fees are a factor to consider, they shouldn’t necessarily put you off university. However, university isn’t for everyone and a legal apprenticeship is a genuine, and free, alternative. This section is a basic introduction to legal apprenticeships. To learn more, read The Law Apprenticeships Guide for everything you need to know about the different legal apprenticeships on offer. Pick up a free copy from your school or read it online at LawCareers.Net. Am I eligible? To become a legal apprentice (excluding the new graduate solicitor apprenticeships), 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. The graduate solicitor apprenticeship, a new route to qualifying, is aimed at candidates with a qualifying law degree (or equivalent) and non-law graduates who’ve completed a law conversion course. Earn and learn The minimum wage for apprentices under the age of 19 is £6.40 an hour (as of April 2024), as well as for people aged over 19 in their first year
of an 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 plus the new graduate solicitor 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 You’ll complete the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) as part of this apprenticeship, achieving CILEX Lawyer status. As a CILEX Lawyer, you’ll have full practice rights in your chosen specialism and complete equivalent work to that of a solicitor. Candidates usually complete previous qualifications, such as the paralegal apprenticeship, before starting the chartered legal executive 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 (eg, in-house), ending in qualification as a solicitor via the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). Graduate solicitor apprenticeship Other ways of qualifying as a lawyer via apprenticeships include the graduate solicitor apprenticeship (open to graduates). Those qualifying via this route will also complete the SQE as part of their apprenticeship.
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