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Hub for Professional Practice

Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeships

Queen Mary University of London is looking for a small group of ambitious, innovative legal service providers to work with us as we seek to form a first cohort of solicitor apprentices for Autumn 2026.

One male student and one female student chatting outside a coffee shop. The woman is wearing glasses, and a black jacket and holding a piece of paper. He is wearing glasses and a white shirt.Working in collaboration with BARBRI, global leaders in legal education, this programme will be a high-quality route into the profession for future solicitors.  For employers, this is an opportunity to work with the UK university that is top-ranked for social mobility and has pioneered innovative, award-winning models of practice-focused education for decades. The programme is a chance to engage with broader talent pools, integrating them into your business as they learn, and opening access to the profession as you build your teams of the future.

Our apprenticeship offering is informed by the work in our Law School’s Hub for Professional Practice where we have convened collaborative conversations with industry about the future of legal education and practice.

Based on this work, we have designed an innovative curriculum so that apprentices studying with us over six years will gain:

  • A Certificate in Higher Education in Years 1–2, offering the broad base of skills and expertise required for succeeding as future legal services practitioners.
  • A Queen Mary LLB in Law and legal practice in Years 3–6, including all the “core” areas of legal knowledge and practice needed to prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

In addition, we will build workplace skills through the six years with applied learning projects in partnership with employers in areas such as pro-bono and practice innovation, enabling employers to work with their own clients as they develop their future generations of solicitors.

Proposed programme structure

  • Year 1: Introduction (English Legal Systems and Research), Professional Practice Skills (drafting and client communication), Introduction to Business Finance, Understanding Effective Teamwork, Resilience and Personal Growth, Introduction to Data Analysis and AI.
  • Year 2: Law, Justice and Ethics, Professional Practice Skills (anti-money-laundering, “Know Your Client” procedures and managing client confidentiality), Effective Stakeholder Management, and Contract Law.
  • Year 3: Land Law, Public Law, EU Law, and Ethics.
  • Year 4: Tort, Criminal Law, and Equity and Trusts.
  • Year 5: SQE 1, and an applied learning project.
  • Year 6: SQE 2, and an applied learning project.

This programme is for legal service providers looking to:

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Develop the next generation of talent by working with an experienced, and best-in-class, Higher Education apprenticeship training provider.

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Attract diverse, academically driven candidates who are looking to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours and apply those in a demanding industry role.

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Commit to a structured 6-year programme of learning and development for entry-level talent that will involve learning on and off-the-job.

This programme is for candidates looking to:

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Gain a law degree from a top London Russell Group university which has unique experience in creating research-led, “learning by doing” law degree programmes.

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Develop skills and capabilities which can act as a springboard for the increasingly diverse career paths now available in the legal services market.

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Undertake a 6-year study programme that will involve learning on the job and on campus as well as completing further hours of independent study.

How will your employees learn?

Apprentices at Queen Mary will learn in a blended online and face-to-face environment.

We offer a London-based university campus 15 minutes from the heart of the City. The School of Law at Queen Mary prides itself on its environment of collaboration and exploration to promote apprentices' development and encourage highly valued critical thinking skills.

Apprentices will work with expert faculty, including those with industry backgrounds, and be supported by skills coaches throughout the 6 years to give the best pastoral care.

For the required SQE modules in the final two years of the apprenticeship, we are partnering with BARBRI, one of the UK market’s leading providers of SQE preparation courses.  Using their cutting-edge educational technology, employers and apprentices will gain the best possible support as the apprentices prepare for their qualification examinations.

Want to know more?

If you would like to explore working with us, we would be delighted to hear from you:

Contact us

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