Apprenticeships in the legal field have increased in prominence in recent years. However, many changes, including the Professional Education and Training Review, the proliferation of legal executives, increased paralegal numbers, and emerging market models, have cast doubt on the conventional path to being a lawyer (ABS). Combine this with the university tuition costs, which render pursuing a career in law without a costly degree, and it’s clear that the legal profession is already in for a significant shake-up.
Apprenticeships enable you to “earn as you study,” earning advanced legal credentials while employed in a law firm or in-house legal team. You can do a law apprenticeship for legal training, making it a possible alternative path to university and the related tuition fees.
Over the last six years, many businesses have pledged their support for external apprenticeship programmes or launched their own. However, apprenticeships are not going anywhere.
Can You Do A Law Apprenticeship?
To become an apprentice, you must be 16 or older, not engaged in full-time school, and a UK citizen/person with the freedom to live in the UK. Most legal apprenticeships require five GCSEs (or equivalent) with grades ranging from A* to C (9 to 4), and many paralegal apprenticeships require two or three A levels with grades of C or higher. Three A levels rated B or better (or comparable job experience) are generally necessary for a solicitor apprenticeship, though minimum grade qualifications differ.