Labour Party In Favour of Legal Apprenticeships

Emily Thornberry, the shadow attorney general, revealed that she supports alternative routes to qualifying as a solicitor, such as legal apprenticeships. 

From 2015 onwards, school leavers can become an articled apprentice, simply meaning they are employed whilst training for six years, earning whilst they learn. At the end of the six years, the articled apprentice will be in possession of an LLB degree, an LPC qualification and will have gained “a period of recognised training”.

At present, school leavers are able to undertake an Advanced Apprenticeship or Higher Apprenticeship whilst working as a junior paralegal. Following this they can study for CILEx Diplomas and go on to become a legal executive or undertake the LPC and qualifying as a solicitor if they are able to demonstrate “other assessed learning and work-based learning” through “equivalent means” of training.

Thornberry reckons that the industry is missing out on talent because social mobility is slowing down. Indeed, 82% of barristers, 78% of judges and 53% of magic circle solicitors went to Oxbridge. She said, “You have to be really committed, really confident and probably come from a background where the family are not freaked out by you getting £40,000 into debt before you even get going as a solicitor.

“When I first qualified… it used to be that you could qualify as a solicitor without a degree. That was phased out. Perhaps that was a mistake.”

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