The Law Apprenticeships Guide 2024

Meet the apprentice

Esther Farley Mayer Brown International LLP

Esther Farley is a fourth-year solicitor apprentice at Mayer Brown. She’s currently in the intellectual property team.

Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?

By the time I finished sixth form, I was unsure whether I wanted to continue with full-time education and didn’t like the idea of accumulating student debt at university. So I took a year out to consider my options and got a job in a local estate agent, where I really enjoyed working in an office and earning a wage. I then applied to various legal apprenticeships around the country and was eventually offered my place with Mayer Brown.

What’s a typical day at work like?

When I’m in the office, I arrive at work at around 9:15am and start working on my tasks for the day. This can be anything from drafting documents, legal research, reviewing legislation to client correspondence and meetings, or observing hearings or mediations. I’ll often meet with trainee solicitors at lunch or go for a walk before returning for the afternoon. The kind of work I do varies widely depending on the department I’m sitting in and the matters they’re working on at the time. As apprentices move around the firm every six months, it’s very interesting to see so many different practice areas and experience new fields of law. There are also lots of opportunities to get involved with pro bono work, which allows me to take on more responsibility than my normal client work, and other diversity and inclusion initiatives within the firm.

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