Apprentice solicitor Review

Training to become a solicitor in a law firm which covers many sectors. We cycle around legal departments in the firm and learn the sector and practice. Eventually we will pick a sector to qualify into. Work involves working on high value matters with clients and lawyer colleagues

Communication, research, presentation skills, drafting, analysis skills, learned a lot of knowledge about specific legal practice areas such as construction law, disputes law, real estate law, family and pensions law.

The culture of the firm is great. There is a real effort to recruit and maintain friendly people. The firm hold values which are close to my own in terms of their social responsibility and put a large onerous on being a responsible company.

The programme is very well structured. It ensures that over time we gain more responsibility and allows us to truly become embedded in teams that we join. The firm are very responsive to feedback from apprentices and we have had an active role in shaping the programme with the firm

There is a lot of support from the firm. There is a strong network of supervisors and partners who are happy to help with all work aspects. Our university support us well. Finally, the people team (HR) are very supportive of issues apprentices face inside and outside of work

The support from the training provider is good, there are a number of people who we can reach out to and they have a good rapport with the firm and keep in regular contact. However, sometimes the work required for our qualification can feel a bit overwhelming on top of our work.

There is a large disconnect between studying for a law degree and practicing as a solicitor. While there is some overlap, the law degree feels like background knowledge which aids my understanding of the work I am dealing with (although is not needed to perform the role). The university do their best to make it useful to our jobs although this often isn't as useful as they believe it to be

The firm old many social activities. I am a member of the firm football team. I often go to social events when working in the firm. There are also professional networking events aimed at younger lawyers (such as the junior lawyer division ball which the firm actively encourage us to attend).

Yes

The firm is one which truly cares about its employees and wants to see them achieve the best. They understand the importance of being a responsible business and while work can be serious, they nurture a light-hearted and friendly culture around the firm. Colleagues at all levels are approachable and interested in you as an individual.

Be yourself and be inquisitive. The firm hire good people and are interested in you as an individual. They are not looking for robots to sit at a desk 8 hours a day but real people with real personalities. Do not be afraid to relax and show the firm who you are.