Register Your Interest - Solicitor Degree Apprenticeship Programme

Register Your Interest - Solicitor Degree Apprenticeship Programme

Start Date: September 2026

Application Opens: December 2025

Overview

If university doesn’t feel right for you, or you’re eager to start working right away, Shoosmiths' Solicitor Apprenticeship offers an excellent alternative route. Over the course of six years, you’ll work four days a week at Shoosmiths, gaining hands-on legal experience solving real cases. One day a week, you’ll study with a training provider to build your legal knowledge and skills. By the end, you’ll have completed the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and gained an LLB (Hons) law degree (or its equivalent) while earning and gaining invaluable professional exposure.

What you’ll experience

• Four workdays per week inside Shoosmiths, tackling legal challenges across core and specialist areas of law.
• One day per week dedicated to academic and practical legal studies.
• Supervised workplace learning to meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s competence standards, plus creation of a work-based portfolio.
• Support throughout: you’ll have a line manager, a “buddy”, as well as a student manager and personal tutor to guide you.

Who we're looking for

• School leavers or career-changers – especially those without a degree, or those for whom university isn’t the preferred path.
• Strong academic ability: minimum 5 GCSEs (including English & Maths); A-Levels at ABB (or equivalent) required.
• People who are proactive, intellectually curious, able to apply thinking practically, and who show initiative. You’ll be part of day-to-day client and partner interaction, so good communication skills matter.

Training Areas & Law Coverage

You’ll rotate through a range of legal areas—core ones include commercial, banking & finance, real estate, corporate law, and litigation. You’ll also have exposure to specialist and less frequent seats: intellectual property, regulatory & compliance, construction, medical negligence, restructuring, advisory, and more. Both non-contentious and contentious law must be covered.

What Happens Next

Register your interest now to be among the first to receive alerts when applications open.