ULaw’s national programme director for apprenticeships, Ceri Evans, explains how the pathway works, who thrives on it, and why leading law firms are increasingly backing this alternative route into the profession
Stepping away from practice and into legal education might sound like a left turn, but for Ceri Evans, it was a return to her roots. Having taught law in the early 1990s, she later qualified as a solicitor and practised as an environmental lawyer at firms including Squire Patton Boggs and Eversheds Sutherland. After years in practice, what drew her back was the joy of watching students grow, and by 2007 she had returned to academia at The University of Law (ULaw). Today, Evans is the national programme director for apprenticeships at ULaw, overseeing nearly 2,000 solicitor apprentices across more than 500 law firms, and is well placed to explain what the pathway really involves.
So, what exactly is a solicitor apprenticeship? A solicitor apprenticeship is typically a six-year route that takes school-leavers straight from A-levels to qualification as solicitors. From day one, apprentices are full-time employees at a law firm, with one day a week reserved for studying with ULaw. The first four years focus on building core legal knowledge and the “black-letter” foundations of contract, tort, ethics and public law, alongside practical experience in the office. At the end of year four, apprentices complete a reflective portfolio and are awarded a law degree (LLB (Hons)). They then move onto their Solicitors Qualifying Exams (the ‘SQE’), which is split into two key parts: the SQE1 (covering the core subjects every solicitor needs to know) and the SQE2 (covering the practical skills every solicitor must have — advocacy, legal research and analysis, drafting, etc.). Once they pass both assessments, they qualify as solicitors without the need to undertake a training contract (which university graduates would still need to secure). As Evans puts it, “It’s actually quicker than the university route, and by the end they’ve been developing solicitor skills for five years. »
One myth she is keen to dispel is that apprentices juggle all this alone. “ULaw assigns every apprentice a dedicated skills coach, who happens to be a qualified solicitor, within the first two weeks of starting, and that coach remains with them throughout the entire five-and-a-half years,” Evans says. “The solicitor apprenticeship arrangement is a genuine three-way partnership between apprentice, law school and employer, and the coach supports both the apprentice’s development and the firm’s supervisors”. Apprentices also have full access to ULaw’s broader support ecosystem, including wellbeing and mental health services, disability support, libraries, societies, a student union and even yoga classes — and uniquely, this is combined with the support and internal resources that the law firm that employs them offers. Apprentices therefore effectively have what Evans calls “double the support of the average university student”. The structure is flexible too: apprentices who take maternity leave, go on secondment or need time out can pause and restart with ease. “The programme stretches with you,” she says.
Securing a solicitor apprenticeship, however, is not as simple as submitting an application to ULaw. Applicants must be hired by a law firm, and these roles are in extremely high demand. Evans recalls one firm receiving around 1,500 applications in a single cycle. The recruitment process can involve online application questions, interviews, assessments and online tests, though the exact structure varies from firm to firm. Her advice for being successful is simple: “Do your research. Don’t just send the same application to ten different firms. They all have different cultures, work and expectations. Find the firm that is right for you.”
As regards who the solicitor apprenticeship route is suited for, Evans encourages school-leavers to be honest with themselves and answer two key questions. First, are they genuinely certain they want to be solicitors? With a law degree, the world is your oyster and you can apply to a whole range of graduate schemes and careers that are not strictly legal; the solicitor apprenticeship, however, is solely focused on you eventually becoming a solicitor. Second, are they mature enough to balance full-time work, academic study and the pressures of a professional environment? Apprentices work four days a week, study on the fifth, and prepare for professional exams around that. Evans admits that this might not be for everyone, and for many people (herself included) university provides the time and space to build confidence before beginning a career. But she emphasises that for students who are confident this is the career they want, the apprenticeship route offers major advantages. These include early immersion in legal work, no student debt, a salary from day one and five years of real-world experience that traditional graduates only start gaining after university.
Firms, too, are increasingly embracing apprenticeships with enthusiasm. From their perspective, their 18-year-old school-leavers are “blank canvases” whom they can invest in, coach and shape into solicitors who reflect their culture, values and working style throughout the five-and-a-half years. By their third year, apprentices are often performing work at the level of first-seat trainees, effectively giving firms an additional trainee solicitor for several years. “And because apprentices spend so long embedded within their teams,” she says, “they often progress within the firm more quickly after qualification, with some achieving associate promotions earlier than their graduate-entry peers”.
The financial advantages of the apprenticeship cannot be overstated. Apprentices pay no tuition fees, no SQE fees and earn a salary (which progresses each year of the scheme). This removes what is arguably the biggest barrier to a legal career — the sheer cost. As a result, solicitor apprenticeships have become a powerful driver of social mobility. ULaw has worked with firms to target areas of lower university participation, and the data shows that apprenticeships attract a more socio-economically diverse cohort of aspiring lawyers. Firms still make their own recruitment decisions, and some continue to set demanding A-level requirements, but the route nonetheless widens access in ways the traditional path may not.
Interestingly, the structure and discipline required of apprentices seem to translate into strong outcomes in the SQE. ULaw’s solicitor apprentices consistently achieve higher pass rates in both SQE1 and SQE2 than their graduate counterparts. Evans attributes this to several factors: apprentices must pass the SQE to remain on their scheme, firms provide significant support during exam periods, and apprentices steadily build legal skills and knowledge through immersion within a law firm.
Looking ahead, Evans sees the apprenticeship route sitting comfortably alongside the traditional path rather than replacing it. “Many firms, particularly larger ones, are now adopting a dual-track system, recruiting both apprentices and university graduates,” she explains. “Training an apprentice is a substantial investment, and few firms are ready to shift exclusively to school-leaver recruitment. But most are keen not to miss out on the bright, ambitious young people who are increasingly choosing this route. Evans predicts that the pathway will continue to grow, but that both routes will remain integral to how law firms recruit future solicitors.”
Her final advice for aspiring apprentices is refreshingly simple: “do your homework, in more ways than one”. Research which firms offer apprenticeships and learn about their culture and values. Think carefully about where you would thrive, whether in a global firm or a regional practice, and tailor your applications accordingly. “Don’t just send out a load of applications without having done the research,” she says.” A thoughtful, well-targeted application can stand out even among a competitive field”.
The solicitor apprenticeship route may once have been unfamiliar, but it has quickly become a mainstream, respected and highly sought-after pathway. For the right candidate — driven, mature and eager to learn by doing — it offers an exciting, dynamic and debt-free route into the profession. And as its popularity grows, it is transforming the landscape of legal training one apprentice at a time.
Part One of Legal Cheek’s Solicitor Apprenticeship Masterclass series takes place virtually THIS AFTERNOON from 4:30 – 6:00pm. Don’t miss the chance to sign up for a spot on Part Two on Tuesday 13 January 2026. The events feature 24 leading law firms and the University of Law breaking down what to expect on the solicitor apprenticeship pathway, how to research law firms, and how to write a winning application. APPLY NOW!
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