Autumn Budget Summary 2024
Deciding to take the apprenticeship route into the legal profession, instead of the traditional university route, was a seemingly easy decision for me. An apprenticeship is both academic and practical, giving me the opportunity to learn both the legal theory and practice, whilst on the job.
How does it work?
An apprenticeship in law follows a similar structure to other industries, with 80% of my time in the office and 20% of my time dedicated to remote study. I’ll be completing a fast tracked Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship, before progressing on to complete the Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship, all through the training provider Datalaw. The Paralegal Apprenticeship is structured over 16 months. For the first 13 months I will be undertaking practical study one day a week, through the form of workshops with legal experts, 1-2-1 sessions with my coach, as well as independent research and analysis learning. In the last three months of the apprenticeship I’ll undergo an end point assessment consisting of a Project Report Presentation and Q&A, as well as a Professional Discussion underpinned by a Portfolio of Evidence, with an external assessor. At the end I’ll be issued a Paralegal diploma and registered as a practicing paralegal.
What are the benefits?
Similarly to a training contract, I will be following a seat rotation structure throughout my paralegal and solicitor apprenticeships, allowing me to attain a high level of practical experience and insight into various areas of law. For me, this is another tremendous advantage of the apprenticeship route. As a person who values hands on experience and learns better when applying knowledge in practice, the apprenticeship is without a doubt the best route for me to start my career. Furthermore, my biggest apprehension for the traditional university route was the competitive nature of the legal field and the struggle to get the experience required to attain a training contract post university. It can be argued that an NQ apprentice will have a head start, with six years of experience, over an NQ from the traditional route with less experience.
My experience so far
Albeit daunting to begin working at a law firm with little legal knowledge (it can be said that I threw myself in the deep end!) I have received unconditional support from the experienced professionals around me. I’m currently in an office administration role until my apprenticeship commences, and I’ve already been given exposure to matters, the opportunity to draft legal documents, communicate with clients, all the while receiving feedback from those around me, which of course is vital to progress my academic and professional career. I’m beyond excited to begin my apprenticeship on the 25th September, and immensely grateful for the ongoing support from everybody at Meadows & Co.
Authored by: Evie Walmsley
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