The Legal Cheek View
This is the Brabners profile for those considering solicitor apprenticeships. Students looking to apply for training contracts should check out Legal Cheek‘s main Brabners profile.
Northwest outfit Brabners has embraced apprenticeships within their four regional offices: Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and Preston. A full-service player, Brabners boasts a diverse array of practice areas, from the commercial side of the law (banking and finance, corporate and commercial) to family, employment, and private client, to name a few. It also does its fair share of high-profile media work, having represented Colleen Rooney in the now world-famous Wagatha Christie case.
Solicitor apprentices will be able to gain a holistic insight into life at a firm that makes its mark outside of the capital. The largest UK law firm to gain B Corp status, it’s clear that Brabners is taking its social and environmental commitments seriously — a huge pull for socially conscious rookies. Although apprenticeships are currently offered only internally due to Brabners’ commitment to internal progression opportunities, Legal Cheek hears whispers that this outfit will be expanding its apprenticeship offer externally in the future.
Legal Cheek spoke to one of the firm’s apprentices, who was offered the opportunity to progress from her paralegal role to a graduate apprenticeship. Even though studying for the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE) one day a week definitely “has its challenges” for this soon-to-be solicitor, she manages her time by “being very disciplined and organised”. It’s “unlikely” that apprentices can fit their SQE studies into just one day, she says. But it’s clear that having a weekly game plan allows her to confidently balance her studying alongside grafting at the office.
Having begun her journey as a Brabners paralegal, she was drawn to the firm because “the teams are so supportive and the firm is so active when it comes to ESG and diversity, so it’s an exciting firm to be a part of”. Having worked opposite Brabners’ lawyers during her time with another firm, she was firmly acquainted its standard of work and exciting clientele.
So what does the life of a Brabners apprentice in the property litigation team look like? “The kind of work we get is very broad. We get lots of commercial landlord and tenant work, lease extensions, and boundary disputes,” they tell us. And it’s not just the varied work that this apprentice praises. “I feel blessed to have landed in my team. The main partner has been extremely supportive in my journey to becoming a lawyer, and I’m surrounded by people who believe in my abilities,” she says.
But what of the social aspect of apprenticing at the firm? “There’s always something going on,” our insider reveals. “There’s plenty of drinks with the teams, where mocktails are also served (which is great for me because I don’t drink!). We’ve had puppy therapy sessions and Dishoom came in last week to give us all free chai lattes!” The gorgeous Manchester office, which “won awards for its modern interior,” also holds classes during lunch breaks such as yoga and running.
With varied work, a great social scene, and plenty of supportive and friendly colleagues, it’s clear that Brabners may be a winner for aspiring solicitor apprentices in the North. Hopefuls should stay tuned to this firm for opportunities that may be on the horizon.
This is Brabners’ Solicitor Apprenticeship profile. Read Brabners’ full Legal Cheek profile here.