My top three benefits of legal apprenticeships

Legal apprenticeships are becoming increasingly popular with both firms and applicants. Some of the largest international firms are now offering both paralegal and solicitor apprenticeships, including DAC Beachcroft, Eversheds Sutherland, Stephenson Harwood, CMS and Dentons. There are also a number of education providers supporting legal apprenticeships, including BPP University Law School, City Law School and The University of Law.

An individual can either start off with the two-year level 3/4 paralegal apprenticeship and then progress onto the level 7 solicitor apprenticeship (an additional four to five years), or begin on the level 7 solicitor apprenticeship straight away (six years). In total, it takes six years to qualify as a solicitor; the exact same time it would take to obtain a university degree, complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) and complete a two-year training contract. Except, of course, the ‘traditional route’ usually takes slightly longer due to multiple ‘stop-offs’ and the challenges of obtaining a training contract.

I successfully completed the paralegal apprenticeship, graduated with a level 4 cert (HE) in legal services and progressed onto the level 7 solicitor apprenticeship. I am due to qualify as a solicitor in 2024.

To find out more about the different routes you can take as an apprenticeship, read LawCareers.Net’s law apprenticeships career paths guide.

I usually summarise the main benefits of an apprenticeship into the below categories.

Earning a salary

First, being an apprentice means that you earn a salary from day one. Although, of course, this starts off as an apprentice wage, legal apprentices are in the top of that bracket and, in any event, I am in a better financial position than I would have been should I have chosen the ‘traditional’ route and gone to university.

No student debt

This leads me on to my next point: apprentices accumulate no student debt. They essentially gain a degree at no personal cost. My employer pays for all the educational fees, including exams and resits. The ‘traditional’ route sets you back £9,250 per year at university for the law degree and approximately £11,000 – £17,285 for the LPC  (not including a maintenance loan). It is argued that gradual repayment of your student loan is hardly noticeable but, in any event, it is a debt that must be paid off through deductions in your income. A stress that no apprentice possesses.

Real life experience

Finally, and my personal favourite gain from the apprenticeship route, is the invaluable, real life experience gained. As an apprentice, at the ripe age of 22, I have already been to mediations, High Court trials and large client meetings. I have attended a hearing alone alongside counsel as the instructing solicitor and have even acted as the supervising solicitor in two search and seize raids. I have my own small caseload and have assisted on some of the firm’s largest value and most complex matters. None of these opportunities would have been available to me should I have pursued university full time. I will qualify as a solicitor with seven-years’ experience at an international law firm under my belt, arguably making me a stronger candidate for newly qualified solicitor roles.

Busting the myth

I am keen to bust the myth that apprenticeships are the ‘easy route’ for those that did not get into their chosen university. Apprentices are not of a lesser intelligence than those who attend university full time. Majority of apprentices got accepted by their chosen universities (often Russel Group, might I add), however made an active choice to pursue the apprenticeship route given its prospective benefits. Further, deciding to pursue an apprenticeship over full-time university means going through a stringent application process, including online applications, telephone interviews and whole assessment days – a challenging experience at an early age, which could provide you with the skills to set you apart from other candidates.

I am hopeful that one day the stigma around apprenticeships will be lifted in the professional world because this route into the legal profession is changing the early career game.

Maia Crockford is a third-year solicitor apprentice at DAC Beachcroft and founder of @mylegalcareer.