Solicitor Apprenticeship

If you’re passionate about a career in law, and want to get started by gaining genuine legal experience, working alongside lawyers who are specialists in their field – then a solicitor apprenticeship may be the route for you. Unlike a traditional law degree, apprentices get the chance to obtain practical, hands-on experience, and develop research, negotiation and client-service skills. As an apprentice at Lewis Silkin, you’ll spend four days a week with us, and one day a week studying with your apprenticeship education provider. By the end of the apprenticeship you’ll have earned your Law LLB University degree, gained six years of experience, and be a fully qualified solicitor through the SQE route. At Lewis Silkin, we believe that learning should be fun and engaging. Our Solicitor Apprenticeship is designed to provide aspiring lawyers with a dynamic and stimulating environment where you are able to develop your skills, experience, and passion as you start your path to becoming a qualified Solicitor. We understand that the best learning happens when you are motivated and enthusiastic, so we've created a program that brings out the best in you. As an apprentice at Lewis Silkin, you'll have the chance to work alongside experienced professionals who are not only passionate about what they do but are leading specialists in their field. Our team of legal experts will guide and mentor you, ensuring that you receive the support you need to excel in each of your chosen seats. From day one, you'll be provided with a solid foundation from which to build your career and will be involved in a variety of tasks, from conducting research and attending client meetings to liaising with clients. As you gain more experience, your duties and level of responsibility will increase including, working more closely with clients, drafting legal documents and working on more complex research tasks. We celebrate individuality and believe that a diverse workforce fosters creativity and innovation. Our commitment to diversity is reflected in our Solicitor Apprenticeship, where you'll have the opportunity to work on a wide range of cases and gain exposure to different areas of law The apprenticeship will be available in our London office. You’ll spend your first two years in Immigration, third year in Employment or Legal Tech, and then your fourth year in Employment or Legal Tech, switching over to the team you wasn’t in for your third year. In the last two years, you will join the trainee seat rotation where you will spend time in 4 different seats, spending six months in each area. At Lewis Silkin we have eight seat options: (1) Corporate, (2) Data, (3) Digital, Commerce, and Creative, (4) Dispute Resolution, (5) Employment, (6) Immigration, (7) Intellectual Property, and (8) Real Estate. From your third year, You may also have the opportunity to go on a client secondment, where you’ll work in-house on a placement to a client’s legal team. For more on Secondments please see our blog. Further information about solicitor apprenticeships What we look for When we recruit, our focus is simply on finding the best candidate for the role - regardless of their background. We are looking for genuine passion and interest within our practice areas and specialist sectors and someone who is enthusiastic and motivated, possesses strong communication skills and is a team player who works for the benefit of all. When applying for our apprenticeship, it can be tempting to tell us what you think we want to hear, and pretend to be someone you're not. However, the person we most want to hear from is the genuine 'you'. We want to get to know you, your experience, and what excites you about a solicitor apprenticeship at Lewis Silkin. Likewise, we want you to get to know us in return. Throughout the process, we will be looking to understand two fundamental points: Why you want to be a commercial solicitor Why you want to train at Lewis Silkin You should view your application as an opportunity to introduce yourself to us, and highlight what makes you a strong candidate for our apprenticeship.