Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services launched

The new Level Four Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services is now open for registration. The programme marks the beginning of a new vocational pathway for paralegal careers in personal injury law, insolvency and commercial litigation.

The apprenticeship qualification was developed by Skills for Justice, CILEx and Damar Training. It is equivalent to the first year of a university degree course and is a pathway to becoming a qualified paralegal. Apprentices can then progress further to become a chartered legal executive, while currently-employed paralegals are also welcome to use the apprenticeship programme to improve their skills.

The Higher Apprenticeship was launched on 11 March at an event hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills, at which the Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock MP, restated his strong support for professional apprenticeships as a way for people to develop crucial employment skills.

Alan Woods OBE, the chief executive of Skills for Justice, said: "Apprenticeships, as we all know, provide work experience and knowledge, increasing the diversity of the workforce by facilitating access for a wider pool of job applicants. Most importantly, they dramatically increase opportunities for young people to develop fantastic careers in law. Firms in the legal services industry are missing a trick if they don’t explore new ways of recruiting staff and developing skills; apprenticeships are certainly one excellent way of doing this."