The Legal Cheek View
This is the Weil Gotshal & Manges profile for those considering solicitor apprenticeships. Students looking to apply for training contracts should check out Legal Cheek‘s main Weil profile.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges is the first US headquartered law firm to enter the UK solicitor apprenticeship market. The firm offers apprenticeships in London, and its first cohort of two budding solicitors started the program in September 2024. Apprentices can expect an in-depth experience in the firm’s core practice area—private equity—while also gaining valuable experience in the finance, restructuring, disputes & investigations, and private funds teams. With 15 global locations, Weil partners with top international brands and major banking institutions.
We’re told that Weil’s apprentices start their journey by experiencing the business services side of the firm before transitioning into their first legal seat. This initial phase provides recruits with insight into the firm’s operations behind the scenes. Following this brief period, apprentices spend the next four years rotating through the firm’s busy legal teams while pursuing their law degree part-time, one day a week.
In the final two years of the programme, apprentices begin studying for the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE) under Weil’s novel “block learning approach”. Instead of studying for the SQE part-time while working, apprentices will study full-time for eight months after their initial four years. The firm says this dedicated period allows apprentices to fully focus on the challenging exams before returning to the firm full-time, ensuring they are well-prepared and ready to hit the ground running for their final phase of the programme.
During the final 18 months of the firm’s solicitor apprenticeship, adventurous apprentices will have the opportunity for six-month international secondments in Washington DC, Hong Kong, Paris or New York. These final months will mark the completion of their six-year programme, emerging as qualified commercial solicitors.
But it’s not all work and no play at this global firm. Apprentices can expect to join the graduate trainee ranks in social activities from the start; with a trainee intake of 15 a year, newbies will likely get to know the rest of the juniors quickly. Firm-wide social events are complemented by events with Weil’s Affinity networks, including WeilPride, Women*@Weil, and Black Lawyers Achieving Success Together (BLAST). Apprentices are invited to an initial induction day and the firm’s summer party, providing plenty of opportunities to get to know their teams before they start.
Please note Weil Gotshal & Manges’ Legal Cheek View will be updated once the firm recruits its first solicitor apprentices.
This is the Weil Gotshal & Manges Solicitor Apprenticeship profile. Read Weil’s full Legal Cheek profile here.