Law degree

[Acleme]

Hi My 17 years old daughter would like to study law in a Russel group university or via an apprenticeship degree. She knows that it is difficult to make it in that field due to fierce competition. I advised her to study surveying instead but she had set her mind on law. Does anyone knows what is the best way to get into an apprenticeship degree? Thanks

Apply apply apply. There are hardly any available. Anecdotally firms have used them to build up quotas for disadvantaged BAME employees but I’ve no idea if that’s actually true.

What A levels is she doing and what grades are likely? Four universities use LNAT test to filter applicants so check out what universities might suit her best. Not all Russell Group are equal.

@TizerorFizz this is a double post by the poster n Education – whose DD is taking Italian, business and econ.

Would look at something like this to start, to get an idea of the process/reqs.
https://www.weightmans.com/careers/early-careers/apprenticeships/solicitor-degree-apprenticeship/

If wanting London, and top firms, then will be very competitive.
Even though places will say ABB grades, that is just for the degree provider, and initial sifting may be a lot higher.
Will probably be too late for DC to get work experience this summer.
Applications will open in the autumn for some, but some wait til the spring to open.

@clary Ah. Well still apply, apply, apply! She will know where she stands before long!

Solicitor apprenticeships are like hens teeth.
From 2026 they are limited to under 22s but school leavers will still be competing with those with experience.
Legal cheek has a list but also look at local firms, Local Government, CPS.
www.legalcheek.com/the-solicitor-apprenticeship-most-list/
The stipulated grades are minimum most will go to A and A star students.
The yp I know who secured a criminal solicitor apprentice recently at age of 19 had top grades and had worked in customer facing roles pt during 6th form. She deferred her law uni place and kept applying. In her gap year she worked 40 hours in an NHS role and did an extra A level in a year.
The main thing the firm wanted to see was evidence of juggling work and study and customer facing paid work. Her final interview was a presentation to a panel of partners.
They also should aim for practical skills like a driving licence - she has to drive to prisons and courts.
Whilst apprenticeship sounds appealing earn wage and no debt be mindful lots are in hard to recruit areas like crime where qualified earnings are low. The degree will also be from Uni of Law/BPP or an ex poly.
Look at LinkedIn to see current apprentices and their experience.
If she goes down traditional uni route just making sure she’s aware of LNAT exam taken yr13. Most of the highest ranked for law require it.

140 school leavers got Solicitor apprenticeships 23/24.
It won’t follow that the govt apprenticeship rule change will free up more apprenticeships for younger people.
Where I work as a solicitor used to offer level 7 solicitor to paralegals with a law degree (so age 22 plus) It worked well. They did 4 days for us and 1 day at uni for 3 years to do SQE. SQE pass rate for apprentices is high I’ve seen a 97% statistic. Last intake September 2025. I’m really annoyed at govt change as it was a model that worked well.
Our provision is being reviewed for 2026 onwards but I can’t see them moving to take on school leavers, I suspect they will have a scheme fund SQE for some paralegals with a law degree.
It’s a big ask from a Employer supervisory point of view to have very young staff with no legal knowledge whatsoever working in quite complex and challenging areas eg in childcare law will be viewing images or listening to police interviews in abuse cases.

@Cakeandusername Yes they are rare and a very bright dc would probably earn a lot more than a basic criminal solicitor visiting courts and police stations which is about the lowest pay available. If you could get to Durham or Bristol she might well be earning more now. No uni fees isn’t always best.

Yes I think some parents think it’s a way to qualify zero debt and they all get to same point as a Solicitor.
But £60,000 debt and a 1st from Durham may get you Magic circle training contract and NQ pay of £150,000 versus an apprenticeship with no debt but where your earnings will never exceed £50,000 a year due to area of law you qualified into.
There are some commercial apprenticeships but apprenticeship is often used to recruit in hard to recruit low paid practice areas.

There’s some links and articles on Law Society and you can look up some of apprentices on LinkedIn. This commercial solicitor apprentice has Astar A levels and lists all her legal work experience for example.
www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/junior-lawyers/aqsa-ullah-a-solicitor-apprentice-sets-the-record-straight

@Cakeandusername I do think people think all solicitors make a fortune. I suspect the London idea is about that too. Commercial apprenticeships must be rare?

https://www.globallegalpost.com/news/linklaters-allen-overy-among-firms-collaborating-in-major-new-social-mobility-initiative-1819250648
This is an initiative for commercial law apprenticeships. But yes very limited numbers and sometimes used as a means of widening diversity/social mobility in firms.

This has links to commercial firms that may offer apprenticeships
citycentury.co.uk/

Does your daughter have any idea what side of law she wants to go into and how she'd like her future career to look? Realistically Law is a traditional field and as @Cakeandusername says, career and earning potential may vary massively depending on how she arrives at her qualifications. If she wants to be conveyancing solicitor in her local town, an apprenticeship or former poly degree will do her just fine, but if she looking at a career as a barrister, or getting into a Magic Circle firm, that route is likely to be wholly unrealistic.

I'd suggest joining the Facebook group What I wish I knew About University (WIWIKAU) - there are some really knowledgeable people on there re law degrees. I found it invaluable when my DD was making her degree choices.

Don't waste time on the 140 apprenticeships a year or whatever they are as that will be a fool's errand as so many get them. Better to get the highest A level grades she can and get into th ebest univesrity she can for her LLB (or other subject degree first if she wants that) . I loved my LLB. She should also apply during her degree for vacation schemes and training contracts and look at the time tables for that on law firm websites as you apply very very early, not after you graduate. All the dates are available on each firm's website.

Good luck. I am a solicitor mother with 4 solicitor children (the youngest 2 of which qualified last year so it is all pretty recent for me)

@SummerCanDoOne i’m a wiwikau law poster. My dc is currently a law undergraduate which is how I ended up on there.

She loves criminal law.

Me too. DD just going into her third year at Uni of Bristol - hoping to be a human rights barrister.

@SummerCanDoOne Tell her to be far more flexible! Not too many chambers to apply to. What is she doing to bolster that aim?

If she’s interested in criminal law then look at smaller firms for apprenticeships and CPS.
For experience this summer she can go to magistrates and crown court. Ask at desk which is a good court to sit in.
It is low paid and anti social hours.
I used to do some criminal as a trainee and was on police station call out rota evenings and weekends. I knew quickly it wasn’t for me! It’s also quite tricky to juggle with family life, I’ve a colleague who switched from criminal for lifestyle reasons.

She's already investigated corporate via internships with two magic circle firms and decided it wasn't for her.

Has had an internship at a very highly regarded London Chambers under a notable KC and is awaiting news of another application for one of the Inns of Court for which she's been shortlisted.

She's attended several networking events with others in the field she wants to specialise in such as Harriet Wistrich and just returned from a month volunteering in women's rights advocacy in South Africa.

All of this she's researched and organised entirely off her own back.

I have every confidence that she'll achieve her aim, however challenging a choice it may be!

@SummerCanDoOne An internship? Most chambers don’t offer them. Mini pupillage yes. What’s an allocation to an Inn? Is she looking for a scholarship? No doubt nailed on to be the next Amal Clooney by the sounds of it.

On doing an apprenticeship, since she wants to do criminal law I wouldn't recommend because they tend to be in commercial or corporate law. The apprenticeships are very competitive and often only exist in corporate law, and a few for family law but other than that not plus it would mean she trains as a solicitor as there are no barrister apprenticeships.

I'd apply to uni at the same time, plus uni means you can study a range of law modules not just the 7 compulsory ones and she may find she has a love for criminal law or immigration law etc. She could also get an LLB with another subject if she's interested in Politics or Sociology or some other combos as well. Also yes criminal law is exhausting but so is every area of law, doing commercial law can be late nights. Family law is also a lot. It will be a lot whatever she does, so she should do something she's passionate in then, some people don't like criminal law, the late hours etc, but some people love it and can comprise with that. Does she want to be a solicitor or barrister? I'd consider doing mini pupillage during univeristy and networking but she may change her mind and a degree gives her the best chance to go through different modules etc. After that if she wants to be a barrister she can do a Bar course for a year and then a pupillage year, if she's leaning more towards being a barrister, I recommend joining one of the 4 Inns of Court during uni. You don't have to but it can be good for networking opportunities and CPD sessions during university which can unskilled her.

Yes, mini pupillage. That's the one.

The thing she's waiting on is something to do with Inner Temple but she does all this stuff for herself so I'm usually fairly clueless about the details!

She's under no illusions that it will be a fast track, easy path or high earning option but she's passionate and determined, and since I got precious little support from my parents when I was considering uni (it was completely out of my dads comfort zone and my mum didn't want me to go for her own reasons), I will back her every step of the way in any way I can.

I finally started with the OU last year so all going well should graduate about the same time she gets called to the Bar 😂

She's currently hoping to secure a scholarship to LSE next year to do an MSc in Gender Rights and Human Rights.