Solicitor Apprenticeship (school leaver) - September 2025 - Watson Farley & Williams

Deadline: 28 February 2025

We encourage you to apply early, as we will start reviewing applications before the deadline

Our Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme is a career pathway for people seeking to qualify as a solicitor without having to attend university full-time.

The programme lasts six years, during which time you will be working across a range of teams, whilst studying one-day a week with BPP University Law School.

Throughout the six years, you will earn a competitive salary and we will also cover your entire tuition fees.

Furthermore, you will receive guidance and feedback from your work-based supervisor, as well as ongoing support from a dedicated BPP Study Coach.

At the end of the programme, you will obtain an LLB (Hons) law degree and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (“SQE”), giving you the same qualifications as our trainee solicitors.

Solicitor apprentices will spend their first 12 months based in business function teams – such as risk & compliance, and knowledge. Here, you will develop your knowledge, gain transferable skills and broaden your understanding of how law firms operate.

Over the following three years, you will have the opportunity to spend 12 months in several different practice areas including real estate, corporate, asset finance or dispute resolution. Throughout these rotations you will gain valuable experiences whilst developing your legal skills. Typical tasks include legal research, engaging with clients, assisting fee earners with tasks, document management and article writing.

For the final two years, you’ll rotate practice groups every four months. At this point there will be an opportunity to spend four months based in one of our international offices.

How to apply for the September 2025 intake.

Are you eligible?

Applicants will need to have achieved, or be predicted, at least ABB at A-Level (or equivalent) and GCSE Maths and English (grades 9 – 4). To help you prepare for the selection process please visit our ‘What We Look For’ page.

Stage 1 - Application

The first stage of the selection process involves completing an online application form: where you will be asked to provide information about your education history and any work experience you may have. You do not require any legal work experience to apply.

However, you may wish to complete our Virtual Work Experience Programme to discover more about the kinds of work you may be involved with and whether this interests you.

As part of the application form, we will also ask you to outline your reasons for applying.

Our online application form is now open and the deadline for submissions is Friday 28 February 2025. We encourage you to apply early, as we will start reviewing applications before the deadline.

Stage 2 – Video Interview

If your online application is successful we will invite you to a video interview. As part of this, you will be asked to record your answers to four questions on an online platform. This part of the assessment will further explore your motivation for applying and will also include some scenario-based questions.

When the interview starts, four questions will appear on the screen one at a time. You will have 30 seconds to prepare your answer before recording starts. You then have 90 to 120 seconds to record your answer. Once this time elapses you will not be able to re-record.

If you are successful at the video interview stage, we will invite you to attend an assessment day at our London office.

Stage 3 - Assessment Day

If you are successful at the video interview stage, we will invite you to attend an assessment day at our London office. This assessment will involve a work-based scenario with the day designed to measure your analytical and problem-solving abilities, as well as your written, organisational and communication skills.

You will be part of a small group of no more than eight candidates. Before exercises start, you will have the opportunity to meet your fellow candidates and throughout the day, members of our Early Careers team will assess your progress.

Afterwards, you will be invited to take a tour of our office and see first-hand our collaborative working environment. You will also have the opportunity to talk with our current trainees and ask about their experience at WFW.

Salary and benefits

You will earn a starting salary of £26,000, which will be reviewed as you progress through the programme. When you join the firm, you will also receive a £500 payment to support with your transition into the workplace.

You will also be entitled to an extensive range of employee benefits.

You can find out some more information in our FAQs.

For more information including FAQs and , click Apply.