The largest law firm in the world has leapt aboard the Trailblazer bandwagon
Global super-giant Dentons has teamed up with BPP Law School to become the latest firm to offer solicitor apprenticeships.
Dentons — which has more that 6,500 lawyers across 50 different countries — has confirmed that it will take up to four fresh-faced school-leavers from September 2017 in a new scheme branded “Your Bright Future”.
The level 7 Trailblazer apprenticeship — which is government-backed and includes a state subsidy for the employer towards training costs — takes six years to complete. Eventually leading to qualification as a solicitor, apprentices will split their time between Dentons, undertaking paid paralegal-level work, and completing an LLB in Legal Practice at BPP.
Legal Cheek understands that students who wish to apply must have three good A-levels, which is in line with similar programmes operated by other City firms. However it’s not clear at this stage what apprentices can expect in terms of a salary.
Commenting on the programme, Dentons’ CEO for the UK, Middle East and Africa, Jeremy Cohen, said:
Diversity and inclusion is at the heart of our firm’s culture, and we already work with a number of organisations with the objective of increasing access to the profession from under-represented groups. By broadening our recruitment activities to a much more diverse talent pool the apprenticeship programme advances Dentons’ commitment to the social mobility agenda a stage further. We are very excited to be launching this initiative which will enable us to access talent that may be put off by the costs of university tuition or want to enter work at an earlier stage.
Tricia Chatterton, director of legal apprenticeship programmes at BPP, added:
The new solicitor apprenticeship scheme will enable Dentons to continue developing the best legal talent in the industry, and provide ambitious young people with the opportunity to kick-start their legal careers earlier.
It’s been a busy week for BPP. On Monday national outfit Burges Salmon confirmed it had struck a similar deal with the legal education provider. Revealing that it had taken on its first five legal apprentices — who will eventually qualify as solicitors — Burges Salmon will pay its new recruits £15,340.
The apprentice bandwagon is quickly gathering pace with a host of firms now offering the earn-while-you-learn route to qualification in one form or another.
Mayer Brown, Fletchers, Eversheds and Kennedys all now offer the level 7 route that allows school leavers to eventually qualify as solicitors. Meanwhile, Clyde & Co, DWF, Irwin Mitchell and magic circle outfit Freshfields offer an apprenticeship route, but only to a paralegal level.