Law is a broad and diverse industry to grow and develop your career within. Whether you want to train to be a solicitor, work as a paralegal or get involved in legal services, law apprenticeships give both new and existing employees the expertise and experience they need to succeed.
There are multiple facets to law and you'll learn different things depending on the area you want to specialise in.
What will I learn with law apprenticeships training?
Whilst the exact skill set you will develop will depend on your exact apprenticeship framework, there are many skills common across the legal sector that nearly all legal professionals will need at some point in their career.
Whether you're a solicitor, a barrister, a paralegal or working as a legal specialist in areas like corporate law, property law, compliance, employment law, civil litigation or family law, you will need to know:
- All the legal and regulatory requirements relevant to your role
- The technicalities of legal practice
- How to carry out research and present your findings accurately and clearly
- How to use precedents and draft documents, using simple and succinct language
- How to assist with legal matters and transactions
- How to perform necessary administrative tasks
- How to manage yourself and your work
- How to build strong relationships with clients and colleagues
- How to conduct yourself ethically, with professionalism
Who can apply for law apprenticeships training?
Law apprenticeships training isn’t just for school leavers, although it does offer a valuable route into the career for new starters. There is no age limit and apprenticeships are open to people of any age and any career level. Apprenticeships are valuable for staff of any industry looking to learn practical, role-ready knowledge and skills and you can use the apprenticeship levy to train existing staff as well as taking on new employees. Law and legal apprenticeships are offered from Level 3 (intermediate) all the way up to Level 7 (degree) and are a great way to develop the knowledge and skill set of existing staff.
Name Level Equivalent Educational Level Intermediate 2 GCSE Advanced 3 A Level Higher 4,5, 6 and 7 Foundation degree and above Degree 6 and 7 Bachelor's or master's degree
If you are a company required to pay the apprenticeships levy, you can spend your levy money on apprenticeship training and end-point assessment with a training provider on the Education & Skills Funding Agency’s Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP). We only list RoTAP approved apprenticeship providers, and you can search for courses here to find a provider to match.
Apprenticeship training must last a minimum of 12 months and 20% of the apprentice’s time must be spent on off-the-job training. You can only use funds in the account to pay for apprenticeship training and assessment for apprentices that work at least 50% of the time in England, and only up to the funding band maximum for that apprenticeship.
For employers who don’t pay the levy, support is still available. If you pay 10% of the apprenticeship training costs and the government will pay the rest (90%), up to the funding band maximum. This is known as ‘co-investment’.
What law apprenticeships and legal apprenticeship standards are currently being offered?
Currently, there are the following apprenticeships available for law:
- Paralegal (Level 3)
- Compliance / Risk Officer (Level 3)
- Legal Services: Paralegal Practice (Level 3)
- Legal Services: Employment Practice (Level 3)
- Legal Services: Civil Litigation (Level 3)
- Legal Services: Property (Level 3)
- Legal Services: Family Practice (Level 3)
- Chartered Legal Executive (Level 6)
- Senior Compliance / Risk Specialist (Level 6)
- Solicitor (Level 7)
Choosing the right law apprenticeships training provider
You can find and compare government approved, RoATP registered apprenticeship providers on our website. If you’re not sure which level is right for you or your staff you can find guides, articles and help on our apprenticeship hub.
