Solicitor apprenticeship (school leaver) - 2025 - VWV

Deadline 28 February 2025

Solicitor Apprentice

Are you looking to unlock your potential and gain invaluable legal experience to enable you to qualify as a Solicitor without the burden of university debt?

At VWV, we're proud to be entering our third year of supporting Solicitor Apprentices in the firm. Managing our early careers talent is at the heart of our recruitment strategy, by offering Solicitor Apprenticeships we're hoping to tap into a diverse range of talent previously denied to the legal profession but most definitely considered by us as a missed opportunity.

How Does It Work?

The VWV Solicitor Apprenticeship is a 6-year Level 7 programme. 

Across four days per week, you'll learn on the job by supporting one of our legal teams, with one day per week being your allocated study day.  You'll have a supervisor who will help you to develop and make sure you're working towards your qualification.  You'll also have a buddy, who can support and guide you, plus you'll receive pastoral support from a member of the Early Talent Team.  Although you'll start in one team, as you move through your apprenticeship, you'll have the opportunity to gain experience in a variety of different legal areas which could include: Real Estate, Private Client, Commercial, Personal Injury and Charities, among many others.   

VWV is a hybrid organisation, so you could on occasion be working from home, however mostly you can expect to work from the office alongside your supervisor in order to gain exposure critical to your learning and development. 

After four years you'll have achieved an LLB (Hons) in Legal Practice at which time you'll join our Trainee Solicitors rotating into a different team every six months, enabling you to become a well-rounded commercial lawyer.  During those final two years you'll sit your SQE1 and SQE2 exams.  At the end of the six years (and subject to character and suitability assessment) you'll be a fully qualified Solicitor registered with the SRA!

As you may be aware, Level 7 apprenticeship funding is currently under government review. We're working closely with our education provider, the University of Law, to establish what this means for the programme and whilst we're committed to supporting apprentices at VWV some specifics (e.g. start date) may be subject to change once the government confirms the new funding guidelines.

What's The Eligibility Criteria?

Offers (subject to mitigating circumstances) will be conditional upon securing three A-Levels (or equivalent) at grade B or above and five GCSEs at grade 4-9 (or equivalent) two of which must be Maths and English.

How Much Does It Cost?

Nothing!  Not only are all your tuition fees paid, but you'll also receive a competitive salary and attractive employee benefits such as paid holiday, local discounts, transport discounts, pension contributions, private medical insurance, and life assurance.

Who Is the Training Provider?

We're delighted to partner with the University of Law (ULaw) for the independent study and skills coaching.  VWV have a long-standing relationship with ULaw, they've been our LPC and PSC provider for many years and we're also working with them on our SQE provision, they understand our firm's drivers and their course content aligns with the direction of the firm's longer-term vision.

What Will I Be Doing Day to Day?

Responsibilities will vary and increase as you work through the apprenticeship, though initially you can expect to gain experience in general legal administrative work such as legal contract management, photocopying, scanning, drafting correspondence, answering client calls, attending client meetings, file opening and file closing, preparing files and bundles, legal research and billing preparation.  For more detail on the key tasks and expectations of a Solicitor Apprentice, see the attached sample Job Description.

Hear Directly from Our Current Solicitor Apprentices

We're holding an online information session at 5pm on Tuesday 21st January .  This is an excellent opportunity to hear more about the programme from some of our current apprentices as well as representatives from VWV and the University of Law, plus ask any questions that you may have. If you'd like to attend, please register via the link on our website.

Who Are We Hoping Will Apply?

We're looking for resilient budding lawyers who thrive through practical on the job learning, individuals who are passionate and determined to start their career in law.  Throughout our assessment process we seek out natural team players with excellent analytical skills, together with great organisational skills and good written and verbal communication skills. 

How To Apply and What to Expect During the Assessment Process

We're striving to be an inclusive employer, to create a workplace and environment that promotes and values diversity, where everyone, regardless of background, can reach their full potential. Contact our recruiter to discuss any adjustments needed so we can make this the best possible candidate experience for you.

Click on the apply button before the closing date of Friday 28 February where you'll be asked to confirm your predicted academic grades and provide details of any work experience (paid or voluntary, legal or not - it all counts!) You'll then be given instructions on how to complete the first part of our assessment process which is a short video interview. This is a great opportunity for you to express your motivations for a career in law.

If successful, you'll be asked to attend an assessment centre in your chosen office location in April, featuring a written assessment designed to evaluate your attention to detail, and ability to follow instructions.  There'll be a fun group exercise to illuminate your teamwork and problem-solving capabilities and then you'll be asked to do a presentation around a topic that we'll provide ahead of time. 

If successfully through the above, you'll be invited back for a one-day vacation scheme placement a couple of days later, this is a chance for you to work with and impress one of our legal teams and have an interview with  our friendly assessors, providing an opportunity for a more in-depth conversation to explore your experiences, goals, and compatibility with our culture..

We hope to be in a position to make decisions and subsequent conditional offers in May.

Good luck!