What's a law apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships have been gaining momentum in the legal sector for the past couple of years. The traditional route to being a lawyer has been challenged by, among other things, the rise of legal executives, increasing paralegal numbers, alternative usiness structures and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).

Combine this with university tuition fee hikes, which further increase the appeal of starting a career in law without the need for an expensive degree, and it's plain to see that the legal landscape has been undergoing a massive shake-up.

Find out more about the SQE via LawCareers.Net’s SQE hub, sponsored by The University of Law.

Apprenticeships enable you to ‘earn while you learn’, gaining professional legal qualifications while working in paid employment at a law firm or in-house legal team. You can qualify as a solicitor through the apprenticeship route, meaning that this is a viable alternative to university and its associated tuition fees. 

Over the years an increasing number of law firms have pledged their support to external apprenticeship schemes or have launched their own. Apprenticeships are certainly here to stay.

More than 50 City law firms are a part of an apprenticeship initiative, City Century, which aims “to revolutionise the legal landscape by empowering students from diverse backgrounds to pursue a career they may have never thought possible”.  

As well as several law firms introducing new graduate solicitor apprenticeships, the number of firms offering solicitor apprenticeships is also on the rise. For example, all five magic circle firms run paralegal or solicitor apprenticeships.

You can read more about the changes via LCN’s News and find out about the difference between a solicitor and graduate apprenticeship via this LCN Says.

On top of the movement on the solicitor side of the profession, there has also been increased talk regarding barrister apprenticeships. In December 2024, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education published the Barrister Apprenticeship Standard. Currently, the Barrister Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group is leading developments in this area and is working on the required steps needed to eventually implement the programme.

Find out more about the progress with barrister apprenticeships and the Bar Standards Board via LawCareers.Net.

What’s a law apprenticeship?

A paralegal or solicitor apprenticeship, for example, combines paid work and training at a law firm with part-time study for professional qualifications. It’s an alternative path to going to university that offers the same career destinations but avoids the expensive fees. Some apprenticeships take 18 months to complete, but the more advanced levels provide training over five or six years – around the same amount of time as it would take to qualify through the university route. Aspiring lawyers can start out as a paralegal apprentice before progressing onto a solicitor apprenticeship to qualify as a solicitor.

Apprenticeship levy

In April 2017 the government introduced the apprenticeship levy, which means that all businesses that make more than £3 million a year must spend a proportion of their profits on training apprentices. Many law firms have launched their own ‘trailblazer’ apprenticeship schemes to open the doors of their businesses and allow aspiring lawyers to join the firm without going to university.

Despite this, in May 2025, the government made changes to the levy. It confirmed that level 7 legal apprenticeships will continue to be funded for those who start aged 16 to 21 and for existing apprentices. However, from January 2026, new starters aged over 21 aren’t eligible for government funding. The Law Society of England and Wales has called on the government “to maintain apprenticeship funding for people over 21”, adding that such funding is “critical” to support recruitment within the legal profession.

Former Law Society President Richard Atkinson explained: “Level 7 solicitor apprenticeships continue to be the only route outside of university to qualify as a solicitor due to specific qualifications set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Apprenticeships play a vital role in promoting social mobility. We also hope to see these apprenticeships brought over to Wales, to allow young people the same valuable opportunities.”

Who can become an apprentice?

To become an apprentice, you must be 16 or over, not in full-time education and a UK citizen/someone who has right of residency in the UK. Most legal apprenticeships require five GCSEs (or equivalent) graded A* to C (9 to 4), while many paralegal apprenticeships also require two to three A levels graded C or above. The solicitor apprenticeship usually requires three A levels graded B or above (or equivalent work experience) – although minimum grade requirements may vary.

The graduate apprenticeship has been designed for, you guessed it, graduates so is open to those who’ve completed a law degree or a Postgraduate Diploma in Law.

How much will I earn?

As of April 2026, the national minimum wage for an apprentice is £8 an hour for people aged under 19, as well as for people aged over 19 who are in the first year of their apprenticeship.

You must be paid at least the minimum wage rate for your age if you’re an apprentice aged 19 or over and have completed your first year – so that’s £10.85 for those under the age of 21 and £12.71 for those aged 21 and older. That said, employers in the legal services sector will usually pay significantly more than that.

Read this Feature to find out more about the different types of legal apprenticeship.

Where can I find legal apprenticeship vacancies?

If you’re looking for legal apprenticeship opportunities across the UK, head to our list of current vacancies. You can use our search tool to search for the types of apprenticeship you’re interested in, in the area you’d like to work.

Want to know more?

Read The Law Apprenticeships Guide 2026 online for more information about the different legal apprenticeships you can do and their qualifications.

Meet Cyril, a solicitor apprentice at Mayer Brown.

Meet Ava, a solicitor apprentice at law firm RPC.

Plus, take a look at our checklist of skills you’ll need to become a legal apprentice.