Leading law firm, Stephensons Solicitors LLP is offering legal apprenticeships to students who are considering alternative routes to university.
Apprenticeships allow students to gain a relevant qualification while earning a wage. As well as working, apprentices are also given a day-release to study towards their qualification.
Stephensons has already recruited one legal apprentice as well as a PR apprentice, but still has several apprenticeships on offer for local A’ level standard students interested in a career in law.
The firm has teamed up with other leading law firms in the region to offer 80 legal apprenticeships between them. The scheme is part of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Employer Ownership of Skills’ initiative which has secured £8.5m of funding to tackle the skills gap across a number of sectors.
In August, Rachel Ord 18, joined Stephensons’ Clinical Negligence department in Wigan as their first paralegal apprentice. Her day to day tasks include assessing schedules or bills received from draftsmen, updating the limitation diary to check where cases are up to and chasing payments.
Rachel, from Bolton said: “I chose to do a legal apprenticeship over a degree as I felt that being in a working environment would better prepare me for a career in law than being at University. It’s increasingly difficult to gain valuable experience in a law firm that can set graduates apart from one another, as degrees are becoming so common.
“Stephensons has a policy of having a 'social conscience' and involvement with the communities they operate in, which really appealed to me. I felt it set them apart from any other firm.”
Rachel isn’t the first apprentice to join Stephensons. Last month, the firm recruited its first-ever apprentice, Chloe Kendall, from Warrington. Chloe, 18, joined the Marketing team in Leigh as a PR apprentice, and she is among the country’s first PR apprentices to follow the Level 4 qualification in Public Relations, equivalent to the first year of a degree.
Chloe’s role involves monitoring the firm’s press coverage, compiling monthly reports, writing press releases, social media and much more. She said: “I’m pleased to be among the first PR apprentices in the country and Stephensons’ first apprentice. The mix of working while also studying one day a week towards a professional qualification appealed to me and I also like the diversity of the job. Every day is different.”
Janine Turner, HR manager said: “Stephensons has always invested in developing the careers of our people, they are after all our greatest asset. We’ve been looking into offering apprenticeships for a while and we’re delighted to be part of the new legal apprenticeship scheme.
“Apprenticeships offer a really credible alternative to University for young people who want to follow a fulfilling and rewarding pathway into a career in law.
“Our first apprentices, Chloe and Rachael, have already made a big impact in their teams and we’re thrilled with their progress so far.”
Stephensons currently has there apprenticeship vacancies within the Probate, Dispute Resolution and Clinical Negligence departments. To view vacancies at Stephensons visit .