The Legal Cheek View
This is the Slaughter and May profile for those considering solicitor apprenticeships. Students looking to apply for training contracts should check out Legal Cheek’s main Slaughter and May profile.
Now in the second year of its solicitor apprenticeship programme, Slaughter and May remains one of the most sought-after destinations for aspiring solicitors. The name, the prestige and the reputation speak for themselves. Long regarded as one of the UK’s elite law firms, this Magic Circle heavyweight offers apprentices the chance to learn their craft while working on some of the most complex, high-profile transactions and disputes in the City.
The six-year solicitor apprenticeship programme immerses recruits in the firm’s legal teams, which include corporate, competition, financing, disputes and investigations, and tax. Here, apprentices work on real deals and cases from the outset, gaining hands-on experience alongside some of the profession’s leading lawyers while building a strong foundation in practical legal skills.
Financing partner Kevin Howes is Slaughter and May’s Solicitor Apprenticeship partner. Legal Cheek heard from Howes on what sets the firm’s apprenticeship offering apart. “Our multi-specialist approach is one of the distinct differences of Slaughter and May,” he says. “Our programme has been designed to provide our apprentices with the breadth of experience and training needed to become a multi-specialist lawyer, equipped to advise on a broad range of legal matters.” This approach to training promises to provide apprentices with plenty of “interest and challenge” as they progress through their career. And it’s paying off, with one apprentice saying: “Being able to advise on a broad range of legal matters across your practice area, rather than being limited to a specific area, is really good.”
Howes is clear that it’s not just apprentices that benefit from the programme, it’s very much a two-way street: “It’s crucial to the sustained success of the firm that we continue to recruit the best people. Our Apprenticeship Programme ensures we have access to talent from all possible sources,” he tells Legal Cheek.
The programme follows a classic structure, with four years of annual rotations across different teams, followed by a two-year training contract, providing apprentices with extensive exposure to the firm’s high-calibre work. To begin with, the firm sets the rotation choices to give you a balanced foundation, but as you progress, you’ll have the chance to shape your path with your own preferences. One unique aspect of the programme is the fact that at first apprentices sit in knowledge seats, “Sitting in the knowledge team is something that’s really unique to the firm,” says one apprentice, “I don’t think any other firms do that.”
Academically, apprentices spend one day a week at BPP University Law School, working towards a law degree. This day-release structure allows them to immediately apply classroom theory to real work. Throughout the programme, apprentices also prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE), which are taken in the final years.
Slaughter and May prioritises integrating new apprentices into the broader firm’s work and culture right from the start. “It’s not just my supervisor giving me work,” one apprentice tells Legal Cheek, “It’s different knowledge lawyers, different fee earners.” On the social front, apprentices are included in the trainee cohort’s activities, with regular social events providing a great way to connect with peers.
The firm’s employee networks, which focus on areas like social mobility, diversity, and environmental sustainability, offer additional ways to get involved, hosting a variety of events ranging from speaker sessions to cultural lunches. For those interested in sports, there are clubs for football, badminton, and netball, and the firm is open to new club ideas if there’s enough interest.
Slaughter and May’s early careers team revealed to Legal Cheek that they are looking for candidates who are ready to commit to the six-year journey, have done their homework on the firm and its distinct differences, and can show they understand what a career in commercial law entails and the demands of the programme. As one apprentice says: “You need to have resilience to get through this whole six years. It’s a long time,” and so the firm are really looking for those traits.
We also asked Howes for the advice he would offer apprenticeship hopefuls. “A solicitor apprenticeship programme is a big commitment,” he replies, “so it’s important to us that applicants can demonstrate a good understanding of commercial law as a career, in particular the role of a solicitor apprentice.” That being said, formal legal work experience is not a requirement: “virtual work experience programmes, events you’ve attended, workshops or law firm open days you’ve taken part in” are all great ways to show your knowledge of and enthusiasm for commercial law.
And finally, be yourself. “Your answer should be personal to you, your journey and your experiences,” says Howes. “Write your application form in your own words, using a professional or natural tone, so that it is authentic and original to you.”
This is Slaughter and May’s Solicitor Apprenticeship profile. Read Slaughter and May’s full Legal Cheek profile here.