Solicitor Apprenticeship (school leaver/non graduate) - 2025 - Mayer Brown

Deadline: 2 March 2025

Program Overview

The Trailblazer Solicitor Apprenticeship is an award-winning Route to Qualification program that offers aspiring solicitors an alternative path into the legal profession.

It’s a great alternative to studying full-time at university if you wish to pursue a career in law without having to take out a student loan. You’ll earn your qualification through a combination of work and part-time study over a period of six years, and at the end of the program, you’ll have the same level of qualification as trainee solicitors who qualify through the traditional route.

Apprentice solicitors join the firm’s London office and spend their first 12 months developing an understanding of how the firm operates in business services departments such as Risk and Compliance and the Information Center. At that point, you’ll be transferred into one of our legal practices.

Details of the Program

he Trailblazer Solicitor Apprenticeship is open to school leavers who wish to pursue an alternative route to qualification as a solicitor rather than attending a full-time university course. It combines practical experience in the workplace with a formal degree and postgraduate study. You’ll go to work and receive a full-time salary and get valuable, real-life experience in your chosen field while you earn a degree at the same time.

As an apprentice, you will gain the professional solicitor qualification that will demonstrate your commercial legal ability, client service experience, ethical behavior and commitment to lifelong learning and development. Studying under BPP University Law School tutors, you will develop your teamwork, presenting and time-management skills and earn an LLB (Hons) law degree and the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) qualification.

Development & Perks

As an apprentice, you’ll develop professional judgement and the ability to conduct legal work within the ethical and regulatory framework required to work as a solicitor. You’ll also be encouraged to explore different areas of law and practice in depth, including tort law, land law, business law and contract law.

The BPP tutors whom you’ll be learning from are qualified lawyers with experience in real-world practice. All assessments and projects relate directly to practical challenges in your workplace, and you’ll gain experience that you can showcase in a digital portfolio.

To complete the apprenticeship, you must pass the Solicitors Regulation Authority centralized assessment (SQE 1 and SQE 2), which consists of a range of assessments and the compilation of a portfolio of your work experience.

Our online content hub means you can flexibly study—you’ll have access to live tutorials, recorded lectures and online learning materials wherever you are. But we still make sure you’ll receive face-to-face support throughout your studies, with in-person teaching scheduled three times per term at a BPP University study center.