Do you prefer working whilst learning and are worried about the cost of university?
A Legal Apprenticeship is a new and exciting way to kick start your career in law.
Legal Apprentices will either work in our Commercial or Insurance practice within the following teams - Managed Services: Commercial and Real Estate / Insurance: Motor, Litigation or CAT PI & OH team.
You will work 4 days a week, and attend a study day one day of the week with BPP. All the details are updated on our website as well as BPP (our training provider) for our next intake in 2020.
You will receive a starting salary of £18,135 plus other benefits (nationwide, excluding London). In London, the starting salary is £20,963 plus other benefits.
Throughout the apprenticeship you will have the support of your team members, supervisor and a dedicated mentor. During the course of the two-year apprenticeship, you will gradually be exposed to more complex legal work.
Legal Apprentices will work towards achieving a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services, taught by BPP with all training costs covered by DWF. In addition, BPP will provide you with the opportunity to study for a certificate in Higher Education, a qualification that is equivalent to the first year of a degree.
This Paralegal Trailblazer qualification is the first of its kind and can lead to qualification as a solicitor. BPP will deliver the formal teaching for our apprenticeship, along with providing a dedicated assessor for each Legal Apprentice.
We hope all our Legal Apprentices complete their studies and decide to stay with us. Your exact role upon qualification will be determined by the skills and abilities you have shown during the previous two years. In advance of completion we will discuss with you where your skills can be best utilised within the firm.
If you show exceptional potential, we will offer you the opportunity to be considered to undertake the Solicitor Apprenticeship pathway and qualify as a solicitor.
Entry level requirements
As well as good academics, you must have excellent communication skills, an eye for detail and the ability to follow instructions and be able to work well as part of a team. You do not need legal work experience to apply, but work and life experience is valuable.
In your application we are keen to see your drive and determination for a career in law and a good understanding of our firm.
Online application
Please note, part of our application process is completed via our recruitment partners at BPP. Our current vacancies in Manchester, Liverpool and London have now been filled, although please keep an eye out for future opportunities here.
Applications will go live in March 2020, on Apply4Law.
Spend time on your answers, do not hold back and really tell us about yourself. This is your opportunity to make your application stand out, so pay attention to your grammar and spelling, a key skill of being a lawyer is attention to detail so make sure your application is error free!
Telephone Interview
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will be contacted by BPP, who will arrange to conduct a telephone interview with yourselves. The telephone interview will be a further chance for you to show why you think a Legal Apprenticeship is right for you and why DWF is the firm you wish to do it at.
Assessment Centre
Upon successful completion of the telephone interview stage, your application and telephone interview score will be reviewed the by the apprenticeship team at DWF. If successful, you will be invited to attend an assessment centre at DWF, which will involve:
If you have not attended an assessment centre before, please do not be nervous as we will do everything we can to put you at ease, and none of the exercises require any specific legal knowledge. The purpose of our assessment centres is to give you the opportunity to show us what you can do.
Applications open 2nd March 2020 and the deadline to apply for a paralegal apprenticeship is 6th May 2020.
Please note that we may close the vacancy earlier if we receive a high volume of applications, therefore you should consider sending your applications in early to avoid disappointment.
If you are successful you will be offered a place to start with us in September and will attend a comprehensive induction. The induction will cover information about the firm, soft skills and an IT training session; you will also meet your tutor, supervisor and mentor.
Mia Langton is a Paralegal Apprentice. In this interview she talks about how her apprenticeship has helped to build the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career at DWF.
Joanna Lafferty is a Recruitment Coordinator Apprentice at DWF. In this blog she talks about her career journey and embarking on an apprenticeship during a global pandemic.
At DWF we provide opportunities for real career progression and growth, by choosing apprenticeships that are mapped to specific roles and divisions that are growing within our business. In this blog Aisha Saeed talks more about the apprenticeship programmes that are available.
Holly O'Brien talks about her aspiring career goals after she was given the opportunity of working for a Solicitor Apprenticeship at DWF.
Julia Perez, Partner and Head of the Lender Services & Legal Support Centre talks about the successful introduction of apprentices across our commercial services division.
What practical experience can you expect to gain as a paralegal apprentice. Paige Eager tells all!