Clifford Chance and Slaughter and May say no to apprenticeships, but Freshfields gets on board

Magic circle firms Clifford Chance and Slaughter and May have said that they will not introduce legal apprenticeships to their recruitment and training models, while Freshfields may soon become the first magic circle firm to take on apprentices.

Both Clifford Chance and Slaugher and May believe that apprenticeships are not the right model for their respective practices and have indicated their intention to maintain the traditional training contract route. The Law Society Gazette reports that although apprenticeships are widely seen as a way to increase diversity and social mobility in the legal profession, Clifford Chance has said that it will focus on other ways of improving access to law, such as providing work experience to people from less-privileged backgrounds. The news comes as Freshfields looks set to become the first magic circle firm to offer legal apprenticeships – with indications that its Manchester office may soon begin training apprentices for paralegal roles and eventual qualification as solicitors after five or six years.

A spokesperson at Freshfields said: “We’re looking at a number of ways to attract talented people in Manchester and the apprenticeship model is one that we are hoping to be able to offer later this year.”