Solicitor Apprenticeship (school leaver) - Blacks Solicitors

Application deadline: 31 March 2025

Blacks Solicitors’ Apprenticeship Schemes gives you the chance to become a qualified Lawyer without incurring the costs associated with further education.

Based in our Leeds office.

Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeships.  These take 6 years to complete, and are suitable for those with no prior legal education. Entry level is 128 UCAS points.

Over the course of the Apprenticeship programme you will:

• Experience life in a variety of different teams
• Gain valuable experience in an award-winning law firm
• Be paid as you learn

What our Apprentices have to say about Blacks’ Apprenticeship Scheme:

Why choose an Apprenticeship with Blacks rather than go to university?

“I already knew that I wanted to go into law and was originally planning to go to university to do a course other than law, but I realised that this would just prolong the process. I also realised that I didn’t really want to move away from home, and that I was ‘bored’ of the traditional education system; I felt ready to experience work. I also knew that at the end of the Apprenticeship, I would have much more experience than if I had gone through university.”

“If I wasn’t at Blacks now, I would be studying law at university with the intention to qualify as a Solicitor. Whilst the academia is extremely important, the workplace requires an additional set of skills which are not currently taught in our education system. After six years, I will have the same qualifications as somebody who has followed the ‘traditional route’, yet will benefit from an extra four years of work experience, without £50,000+ of student debt.”

How do you find your study/work life balance?

“Both Blacks and BPP (the University) ensure that we balance our time between study, work and general life, and still have time to do the things that University students get to do.”

Do you have a good support network?

“The support network at Blacks and BPP is excellent; there is always someone to talk to. We have mentors in each team at Blacks, as well as our General Supervisor, and they always make time if we need to speak to them.

At BPP, we have a Student Manager who we can contact if we need them, as well as an academic Tutor who we can contact if we need extra guidance.”

“The support network is incredible. There are numerous people who I can talk to in work – my Supervisor, my Line Manager and a couple of other colleagues, and at BPP – my Tutor and my Student Manager.”

Why would you recommend an Apprenticeship?

“I would recommend an Apprenticeship because there is an opportunity to develop the general work-related skills that they can’t properly teach you at university. You do still get the academic side, if that is what you like, but it is broken up with practical, hands-on experience.”

“If you aspire to be a Solicitor, the Apprenticeship makes perfect sense because after six years you will be qualified with no student debt, the same degree and an invaluable set of skills that most graduates do not have.”

What is Blacks like to work for?

“Blacks is a great firm to work for. I was extremely nervous at first, having never before worked full-time in an office, however everybody is friendly and easy to get on with. A number of people went out of their way to say hello and have a chat about the Scheme and Blacks. I even get a significant amount of contact with the Managing Partner, which I am told is quite rare in law firms.

There are always opportunities to get to know colleagues and new people outside of work. I have played football for the firm and attended Christmas parties. However, further to the social aspect of the firm, I have enjoyed the work and feel comfortable in what I am doing.”

If you would like to apply for Blacks’ Solicitor Apprenticeship Scheme please send your CV and covering letter to Ruth King (Head of HR) via email by 31 March 2025. Alternatively for more information about the Scheme please call 0113 207 0000.