The Law Apprenticeships Guide | LawCareers.Net

Solicitors hub
Everything you need to know about becoming a solicitor
Search training contracts
Search for a training contract at nearly 1,000 organisations
Training contract deadlines
A comprehensive list of training contract deadlines
Vacation scheme deadlines
A comprehensive list of law firms' vacation scheme deadlines

INSIDE LOOK

Meet the Lawyer
Read how today's lawyers went from student to qualified lawyer
Meet the Recruiter
Advice from recruiters on acing your applications and more
Vacation Scheme Insiders
Get a sense of what firms' vacation schemes are really like
Brochures
Your essential first step in identifying the firm for you
Practice Area Profiles
Hear from solicitors working in specific practice areas

LEARN

DISCOVER

Barristers hub
Everything you need to know about becoming a barrister
Search pupillages
Search for a pupillage at nearly 200 barristers' chambers
Pupillage deadlines
A comprehensive list of pupillage deadlines

INSIDE LOOK

Meet the Lawyer
Read how today's barristers went from student to qualified barrister at the Bar
Practice Area Profiles
Hear from barristers working in specific practice areas
Types of chambers
Find out more about the different types of chambers

LEARN

DISCOVER

Interested in a future career as a lawyer? Use The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law to get started

Apprenticeships hub

Find out about the various legal apprenticeships on offer and browse vacancies with The Law Apprenticeships Guide

Information on qualifying through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, including preparation courses, study resources, QWE and more

Commercial awareness hub

Discover everything you need to know about developing your knowledge of the business world and its impact on the law

The latest news and updates on the actions being taken to improve diversity and inclusion in the legal profession

Application hub

Discover advice to help you prepare for and ace your vacation scheme, training contract and pupillage applications

Your first-year guide to a career in law – find out how to kickstart your legal career at this early stage

Your non-law guide to a career in law – everything you need to know about converting to law

Education hub
This hub covers all aspects of legal education and training
Search law courses
Search law-related courses across the UK
Law school prospectuses
Identify the right law school for you with these prospectuses
Finances
Find out about sources of funding at each stage of the qualification process

COURSES

Undergraduate degree
Find out what an undergraduate degree is
Law conversion courses – PGDL/GDL
Find out about what you learn and where to study
Legal practice course – LPC
Find out what the LPC involves and whether you're eligible
Bar courses – BPTC/BPC
Find out about the course required to qualify as a barrister
SQE preparation courses
Find out about the brand-new SQE preparation courses

STAGES

DISCOVER

Commercial Question
Articles from law firms designed to get you thinking commercially
Features
These are designed to increase your knowledge of the profession
LCN Says
Insights from LCN and contributors from the world of law
The Oracle
Advice on issues from funding your studies to getting experience
LCN Weekly Newsletter
Kickstart your legal career with the latest content in our newsletter

EXPLORE

News
Discover key stories from the legal world
Videos
Our videos feature interviews and webinars on careers in law
Podcast
Hear from the experts via The LawCareers.Net Podcast
Blogs
Hear from your peers about their journey into the profession

DISCOVER

Law Apprenticeships Guide

Login | Register

Welcome

The Law Apprenticeships Guide sponsored by Mayer Brown

Read the guide now

Key skills

The skills you need to be a successful legal apprentice

Meet an apprentice

Esther Farley is a third-year solicitor apprentice at Mayer Brown

Career paths

Law apprenticeship career path

Plan your journey

Welcome Key skills Meet an apprentice Career paths

What is a law apprenticeship?

A law apprenticeship combines paid work and training at a law firm with part-time study for professional qualifications. It is an alternative path to going to university that offers the same career destinations, but avoids the expensive fees.

Webinar | Legal apprenticeships: routes into the profession

In this webinar hear directly from recruiters, lawyers and current apprentices about what it means to enter the legal profession as an apprentice, the qualifications required to enrol on apprenticeships, information on the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, the different types of apprenticeships available, who can qualify as a solicitor via this route, and the benefits and challenges of qualifying this way.

Want to know more?

Legal apprenticeship vacancies

Discover legal apprenticeship positions available at various law firms and organisations

Legal apprenticeship skills checklist

Here's a checklist of the necessary skills to get off to a flying start

What are the different types of apprenticeships?

Intermediate, paralegal, solicitor apprenticeships: here are the career options

Apprenticeship or university?

I’m considering starting a legal apprenticeship, but are the career prospects the same as the full-time university route? What are the main differences between an apprenticeship and going to university?

The Beginner's Guide to a Career in Law

Everything you need to know about launching a career in law.

A guide to law apprenticeships

A legal apprenticeship is a route to becoming a lawyer that combines a paid job at a law firm with studying for formal qualifications, paid for by the government and your employer. It’s an alternative to the traditional route of going to university and training to be a lawyer afterwards.

Key questions

What skills and strengths do you need to be a good lawyer?

Who can become an apprentice?

Do I have to study A-level law to be an apprentice?

Paralegal apprenticeship revamp hopes to increase diversity in legal profession

The National Association of Licensed Paralegals has revealed that the Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship Standard is being completely overhauled.

Lincoln’s Inn launches film highlighting barristers from underrepresented backgrounds

Lincoln’s Inn brings to life the stories of six practising barristers from unconventional backgrounds in its new outreach film Becoming a Barrister.

LawCareers.Net launches brand-new commercial podcast series

LawCareers.Net has launched a brand-new podcast series to boost aspiring lawyers’ commercial awareness.

Damar and BARBRI announce technology partnership for solicitor apprenticeships

Legal apprenticeship specialist Damar Training and legal education provider BARBRI have announced a new technology partnership that embeds BARBRI’s learning technology into Damar’s solicitor apprenticeship programmes.

Latest updates

What’s the difference between a solicitor and graduate apprenticeship?

Solicitor apprentices “leading the way” in SQE results, SRA reports

Professional apprenticeships: a new path into the legal profession

Meet the Apprentice

Esther Farley is a third-year solicitor apprentice at Mayer Brown

Dino Dullabh - How law firms can win the war for talent

Law firms are locked in a never-ending arms race to attract the top talent. This is because they’re predominately people businesses – the value of a firm’s offering is derived directly from its people and their legal expertise.

Meet the Apprentice

Millie Aish is a paralegal apprentice at RPC

Olivia Partridge - What’s the difference between a solicitor and graduate apprenticeship?

Olivia Partridge

What do you know about entering the legal profession via an apprenticeship? While the concept of an apprenticeship isn’t new, there are a few misconceptions and some confusion that surround them. So, this article aims to demystify the apprenticeship route to qualifying as a solicitor.