Legal Cheek explores the TC alternative
For years, qualifying as a solicitor followed a familiar script, from university to law school and then on to a training contract. But that pathway is no longer the only (or perhaps even the most attractive) option.
Solicitor apprenticeships are reshaping how the legal profession trains its future lawyers, offering paid work, fully funded study and years of legal experience by the time you qualify. In recognition of National Apprenticeship Week, we’re highlighting seven things you should know before applying. With many firms closing applications this month (and several deadlines falling this week!), now’s the time to get your applications in.
1. Top law firms are fully on board
Since launching in 2016, solicitor apprenticeships have quickly entered the mainstream. Early adopters like Burges Salmon and Mayer Brown paved the way, successfully guiding multiple cohorts through to qualification. And over the last few years, this pathway has picked up traction amongst even the biggest names in the legal industry.
Magic Circle firms A&O Shearman and Linklaters opened their programmes in 2022 and 2023, with Slaughter and May and Freshfields following in 2025. US heavyweights including Weil and White & Case are also recruiting apprentices.
And it’s not just London. National firms such as Shoosmiths, Osborne Clarke and Pinsent Masons offer apprenticeships across Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and beyond.
The route is now tried and true, and elite firms are investing heavily in apprentices as a long-term talent pipeline.
2. You earn a competitive salary from day one (and it rises fast)
One of the biggest attractions? The pay. You earn a salary from day one, with some firms even offering sign-on bonuses. And as the City’s behemoths have entered the apprenticeship market, salaries have risen sharply.
The Legal Cheek Solicitor Apprenticeship Most List shows first-year apprentices earning up to £33,000 at Weil, with £32,000 on offer at firms including A&O Shearman, Linklaters and White & Case. Salaries increase each year as you progress through the scheme, and by year four, pay can reach the £40,000 mark. In the fifth and sixth years, apprentices join the trainee solicitor cohort and are paid a trainee solicitor salary, ranging anywhere from £50,000–£62,000 in London. By the time qualification rolls around — potentially as early as 24 — many apprentices can expect well above six figures.
3. Apprentices are outperforming graduates in the SQE
Though apprentices study part-time alongside work, the evidence suggests they are not at an academic disadvantage compared to university graduates. Indeed, recent analysis shows solicitor apprentices ranking among the strongest performers in the SQE, often outperforming those who followed the traditional university route. Years of real-world legal experience combined with structured academic study gives them an edge in an exam designed to test how well candidates apply legal rules in practical, real-life scenarios.
4. You earn a degree without the hefty student debt
For comparison, let’s look at a simple example of the university route for a student undertaking a three-year undergraduate degree:
- Tuition fees of around £9,500 per year (approximately £28,500 over three years)
- Maintenance loans of up to £10,500 per year (approximately £31,500 over three years)
- SQE exam fees of close to £5,000
- SQE preparation courses that can exceed £10,000
Add it all up and some students could be facing close to £75,000 of debt. That could potentially be more if that student lives and studies in London.
Solicitor apprenticeships flip that model on its head. Firms fund your degree and SQE preparation while you work and study part-time. You graduate with a degree, qualify as a solicitor and avoid student debt entirely. Better still, you’re earning the whole time.
5. You could qualify years earlier than the average solicitor
The Law Society reports that the average age of qualification in the UK is 30. Start a solicitor apprenticeship at 18, complete the six-year programme, and you could qualify by 24. That head start can have a significant impact on your career trajectory: qualifying sooner may lead to earlier promotion, higher lifetime earnings, and more time to develop your expertise. For those eager to progress quickly, it’s a clear advantage.
6. You qualify with six years of real law firm experience
Under the traditional training contract route, graduates need just 24 months of legal work experience before qualification. Solicitor apprentices, by contrast, complete six full years working within a law firm. That’s triple the time spent immersed in real-life legal practice. By the time you qualify, you won’t just understand the law; you’ll understand how your firm works, what clients care about, and how deals or disputes unfold in practice. You’ll build relationships, develop commercial awareness and sharpen skills like drafting and negotiation — things that can’t be learned from textbooks alone.
7. You’ll experience more practice areas than most trainees
Trainees typically rotate through four six-month ‘seats’ (A.K.A. practice areas) over two years. Solicitor apprentices, however, usually rotate through far more departments across the six-year scheme, gaining exposure to a broader range of practice areas before qualification.
Not only is this beneficial for your development and understanding of different areas of the law, but it also helps you to make a far more informed decision about which area you’d like to qualify into at the end of the programme.
Many apprenticeship programmes also allow for stints in legal-adjacent departments like business development, marketing or legal tech teams, offering insight into how law firms operate as a business. That wider perspective becomes invaluable as you progress towards senior roles.
Final thoughts…
Solicitor apprenticeships offer an attractive alternative to university. Top firms are investing heavily, exam results are strong, salaries are competitive and qualification can come earlier. That said, this route isn’t ‘easier’ or ‘better’ than going to university… it’s just different. It all depends on the type of person you are, and the lifestyle you seek.
Balancing full-time work with part-time study is demanding and requires consistent motivation over several many years. There’ll probably be a lot less of that traditional ‘student’ lifestyle (though solicitor apprentices tell us they still manage to get up to a lot of fun), and success in this pathway requires maturity, organisation and resilience. But for the right person, the payoff is substantial.
@legalcheek Head to The Solicitor Apprenticeship Most List to find out all the info you need to know on becoming a solicitor apprentice at a leading law firm! 🤩 #solicitorapprenticeship #law #lawyer #corporatelawyer #apprenticeship ♬ What You Need (Instrumental) – KAYTRANADA