The University of Law launches 2019 solicitor apprenticeships with the BBC, Fieldfisher and Mills & Reeve

The University of Law has begun training its second group of solicitor apprentices this January, in partnership with several leading employers.

The companies signed up to the solicitor apprenticeship programme include the BBC’s in-house legal department, law firms Mills & Reeve and Fieldfisher, and several local authorities across the country.

The programme itself combines training on the job at an employer, supervised online study and practical learning at the apprentice’s nearest University of Law campus. The solicitor apprenticeship is designed to prepare candidates for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.

The University of Law began proving solicitor apprenticeships in 2016 with just a few A-level graduates, but the programme has since grown to 110 apprentices nationwide. This is still a relatively small figure, indicating there is scope for take-up of solicitor apprenticeships to grow further.

Peter Crisp, pro vice chancellor at The University of Law, said: “The University of Law is delighted at the growth of our solicitor apprenticeship programme and continues to see growing enthusiasm for apprenticeships in the legal sector.

“As the Solicitors Qualifying Examination approaches, the need for a diversity of routes to qualification becomes all the more important. The solicitor apprenticeship presents the perfect opportunity to learn in context whilst building the crucial work skills required to be an effective lawyer in the 21st Century.”

To learn more about solicitor apprenticeships, read The Law Apprenticeships Guide.