Our Solicitor Apprenticeship is a Level 7 qualification combining study with work to allow you to qualify as a solicitor without incurring student debt often associated with attending university. You'll learn on-the-job at our London office, alongside a small cohort of solicitor apprentices, while studying for one day a week at the University of Law to obtain an LLB Law degree and complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE). At the end of the apprenticeship, you'll be a qualified solicitor.
Study towards an LLB Law degree and work towards the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) once a week at The University of Law. The LLB is designed to prepare you for the academic challenges of the SQE examinations, as well as the fundamental skills, technical excellence, and commercial awareness required for your role as a solicitor.
Put into practice the legal knowledge and skills you're learning at university by working in our London office four-days a week. Build your knowledge of the law and find the area you wish to qualify into by working for stimulating clients across a range of sectors with our experts in the legal field. You may also experience a client secondment to further your experience and develop your commercial edge by understanding their business from the inside.
Prior to starting your first seat, you'll have a comprehensive induction designed by our Early Careers and Learning & Development team, providing you with the basic building blocks for your personal growth and professional success as a solicitor apprentice. From practical learning to insight sessions and skill-based workshops, we'll ensure that you are set up for success. We'll introduce you to all areas of the firm, from business services to fee earners, strengthening your understanding of how we operate as one seamless international, sector-focused firm.
We'll assign you a Solicitor Apprentice Mentor and Partner Apprentice Mentor to support you throughout your programme, acting as a point of contact from induction to qualification. You'll receive regular feedback from your supervisors and the Early Careers team to provide you with the support and guidance fundamental to you excelling in your law career.
Alongside your seat rotations, you'll take part in a tailored Learning & Development Programme which will equip you with a broad range of technical and business skills. This programme is led by a mixture of internal and external speakers in a combination of online and in-person sessions. You'll put this learning into context as you rotate around different departments throughout your apprenticeship.
To become a solicitor apprentice at Bird & Bird, you can apply through our Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme. We are recruiting for our September 2026 cohort of solicitor apprentices.
You can apply if you can commence the apprenticeship in September 2026. At the time of submitting your application, you should be:
You should also have or expect to have 5 GCSEs including English and Maths at grade 9-4/A*-C and 3 A-Levels at AAB (or equivalent). We understand that you may not have received the grade you hoped for due to extenuating or mitigating circumstances. Please detail any relevant information in your application for us to take into consideration. We also use a Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) to enable us to recruit people from different backgrounds and help us understand your achievements in the context in which they were gained.
We’re a disability, neurodiversity and mental health inclusive employer and want to ensure that you have a barrier-free recruitment experience. If you need adjustments during the recruitment process or require assistance completing an application as the result of disability, you can get confidential advice from our Early Careers team at earlycareers@twobirds.com.
To become a solicitor apprentice at Bird & Bird, you can apply to our Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme.
