The University of Law (ULaw) is excited to welcome the second cohort of their January start solicitor apprentices for 2019 and celebrate the growth of their solicitor apprenticeship programme.
Launched in September 2016, the programme has grown from a handful of apprentices to over 110 nationwide, and has created successful partnerships between the University, employers and apprentices to meet the requirements of the Government’s employer-led trailblazer standard for solicitor qualification.
Appealing to a broad range of employers, from in-house and boutique to global law firms, ULaw’s solicitor apprenticeship programme has a practical focus and aims to equip apprentices with a thorough understanding of core legal subjects, with an in-depth, practical application of the law.
As the only provider offering a January start date, ULaw is able to provide flexibility to employers outside the typical academic year, and to apprentices, many of whom are progressing from the Level 3 paralegal apprenticeship.
Among the firms enrolling apprentices this academic year are the BBC (in Manchester and London), Mills & Reeve, Fieldfisher (Manchester and London), Simpson Millar (nationwide), and several local authorities including Hammersmith & Fulham and Dorset County Council.
A combination of work-based and online supervised study, together with practical and academic activities at ULaw campuses prepares apprentices to undertake the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination Parts 1 and 2. Apprentices who successfully complete these assessments will be entitled to apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to be admitted as solicitors at the end of the programme.
In addition, apprentices also complete ULaw assessments, providing them with the opportunity to be awarded an LLB in Legal Practice and Skills (Hons) from ULaw. As well as supporting the apprentices academically, ULaw builds on their experience of working closely with employers to ensure competencies in the workplace are developed and nurtured throughout.
