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Everything you need to know about law apprenticeships (Updated for 2025)
Working in law is a fast-paced and interesting career, where you’ll use your problem-solving skills and lateral thinking to help people and businesses.
But bagging yourself a successful law career usually means going to university and building up tons of debt. One alternative is to do a law apprenticeship. You’ll earn a salary while you learn and gain experience. You could even become a fully qualified solicitor.
'Did you know there are law apprenticeships for 16 year olds? Plus a brand new solicitor apprenticeship for students completing their A-levels'
In this guide we’ll talk you through:
- What law apprenticeships are.
- Law apprenticeships for 16 year olds.
- Solicitor degree apprenticeships.
- The skills you need for a career in law.
What are law apprenticeships?
A law apprenticeship lets you study for a formal legal qualification at a law school. At the same time, you’ll learn by actually doing the job, most likely at a law firm or at a company’s legal team. You’ll earn a salary and won’t gather the debt of university fees.
You can apply straight from school, and there are even law apprenticeships for 16 year olds. It’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll be going directly into a challenging full-time job, and won’t have the long summer holidays that university students have.
Depending on the apprenticeship you choose, you could be working in criminal, family, property or employment law.
Important: The new government recently announced that it would stop funding level 7 apprenticeships. If this happens, law firms may stop offering programmes such as the barrister and solicitor apprenticeships. The Law Society and legal firms are currently lobbying the government to reverse this decision. Watch this space for more information.
So what are the different types of law apprenticeships?
Here we’ll look at what kinds of roles you can train in as a legal apprentice:
Paralegal
Level 3 – equivalent to A-level
Paralegals prepare legal documents, do research and give legal advice. With this apprenticeship, you’ll grow legal and business skills on the job, while studying for a qualification and will qualify as a chartered legal executive.
Law apprenticeships for 16 year olds are available in the paralegal field. These are known as advanced or level 3 apprenticeships, and on a programme like this, you could train in roles such as paralegal officer, paralegal assistant, legal advisor or junior paralegal. The higher level is usually open to those with A-level qualifications or equivalent, and you could train as a senior paralegal or senior legal officer.
The way your apprenticeship works will vary depending on your employer. For example, you could study for one day per week, learning about the structure of the law. During the other four days, you could work as part of a team of paralegals, assisting lawyers. You’ll have your own supervisor and mentor to help you develop.
Depending on the area of law your paralegal apprenticeship is in, your duties could include managing client records; reviewing documents; helping with gathering files for lawyers to use in court; carrying out legal research; dealing with confidential information; working in a team to keep on top of tasks.
Conveyancer
Level 6 – equivalent to honours degree
Conveyancers manage the legal process of buying and selling property such as houses and land.
They gather information about the property being bought or sold, make sure everything is in order, reporting any irregularities to the client and aiming to resolve these where possible. They deal with things such as property deeds and local authority searches, draw up the contract and oversee the exchange of contracts and completion of the sale.
Conveyancers support people through a stressful time, and share complex legal information with lay people. This means that as well as having the technical skills needed to oversee the transaction, conveyancers need patience, empathy and good communication skills.
This degree apprenticeship usually lasts five years, although if you are progressing from another related profession, it may be shorter. As part of the apprenticeship, you will gain a Council for Licensed Conveyancers level 6 diploma – equivalent to a bachelor's or undergraduate degree.
Tasks undertaken on your programme could include:
- Requesting documentation such as searches from local authorities.
- Providing updates and legal advice to clients.
- Develop your awareness of property fraud.
Barrister
Level 7 – equivalent to Master's degree
This programme allows you to train as a barrister – a legal professional who represents clients in court (at the 'bar').
Barristers don't generally work directly with clients. Instead, they are advised by a solicitor who is the client's point of contact. However, they will meet the client before their appearance in court, sometimes on the day of the trial or hearing. They typically work for private law firms, local authorities, government departments and public bodies like the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
This is a degree apprenticeship lasting six years, aimed at school leavers – although graduates or professionals working in other fields may be able to apply. If you have relevant experience or qualifications, the programme may be shorter.
You'll combine work and study, full time, and work towards the level 7 Bar Training Course (this is equivalent to a Master's degree). You'll also complete a level 6 law degree.
During your apprenticeship, tasks could include:
- Taking instructions from clients.
- Carrying out legal research and applying this to cases.
- Drafting legal documentation.
- Preparing and presenting submissions to court.
Solicitor
Level 7 - equivalent to Master's degree
This apprenticeship allows you to train to become a fully qualified solicitor, while learning and earning on the job.
This degree apprenticeship programme lasts six years. This apprenticeship is mainly for school-leavers, but if you’re a university graduate or already have completed another kind of law apprenticeship, like one of the course above, the programme will be shorter. You need five GCSEs and three A-levels at grade C or above to apply.
You will work full-time and study part-time, working towards an level 7 qualification, the equivalent of a Master's degree, although you will not necessarily gain a Master's, more likely an LLB (a law degree). You'll then complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) – this is the vocational qualification you need to practise law as a solicitor and it replaced an earlier examination system called the Legal Practice Course in 2021.
You will develop an in-depth technical knowledge of the law as well as gain crucial workplace skills including: how to manage your own workload, communicate effectively, think critically, solve problems, and negotiate successfully.
During your apprenticeship, your tasks could include:
- Interviewing and providing legal advice to clients.
- Negotiating solutions to your clients’ problems.
- Carry out legal research.
- Write legal documents and forms, and check them for quality.
- Create “bundles” for use in court – those are a collection of files relating to a particular case that will be used by the judge, witnesses and anyone else involved in the case.
Other law apprenticeships
Other apprenticeship programmes in law include:
- Legal technician (level 4)
- Costs lawyer (level 6)
- Chartered legal executive
- Litigator and advocate (level 7)
What skills do I need?
Again, depending on which of the above apprenticeships you’re interested in, the required skills vary. But the qualities and abilities you’ll need could include:
- Communication.
- Organisation.
- Accuracy and attention to detail.
- Able to take initiative and work on your own.
- Time management.
- Keen interest in the law.
- Enthusiastic and very highly motivated.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Flexible and hard-working.
Does a law apprenticeship sound like the right path for you? Find out more about careers in the law by checking out our Law Career Zone.
