Solicitor Apprentice
Starting from £24,000 plus benefits (Work Level 6B)
Duration: 6 years
Manchester city centre - office based
Please be aware that, due to application volumes, we may close the advert before the listed closing date
We're looking for motivated people with a desire to build a successful career in an ethical legal business to join our Level 7 Solicitor apprenticeship, in partnership with BPP.
This is an exciting opportunity to become a qualified solicitor and gain a law degree, without the costs associated with university. You'll earn a competitive salary in a full-time role, developing your practical skills and experience alongside expert colleagues and mentors.
At Co-op Legal Services, we're known for our ethical approach, innovative use of technology including introducing AI into our legal technology platform, and dedication to our members, clients, and colleagues. We work across probate, estate planning, wills, family law, medical negligence, and personal injury.In this role, you'll join and remain in either our family law, personal injury or medical negligence department throughout your apprenticeship. Throughout your journey with us you'll build a strong foundation of knowledge while benefitting from mentorship and support.
You'll learn the requirements of effective case management and, over time, build your own caseload of mixed-complexity cases.
Your apprenticeship will last for 6 years, and during this time you'll allocate a day of your working week to studying, learning, and spending time with your course tutor. We'll also require you to dedicate around 3 hours per week of your own time to support with your learning.For the rest of the week, you'll be in-role, contributing to the team right from the word 'go'. Although we'll provide you with time to learn at work, you'll need to have the necessary commitment and dedication to successfully balance your work and your studies.
What you'll do- join the team in a full-time, permanent role as an apprentice solicitor within either our family law or personal injury and medical negligence department
- dedicate a day of your working week to your learning, study, and tutorials and around 3 hours of your time per week outside of work to support your learning
- attend sessions with your personal skills coach throughout the duration of the programme, meeting every 6-8 weeks
- assist on a variety of cases end-to-end with guidance from your senior colleagues/mentor
- carry-out research, providing advice to our clients while focussing on case progression alongside your personal development
- provide excellent customer service to our clients virtually, taking an empathetic approach to reach the best outcome for their requirements
- complete your apprenticeship over the course of 6 years, qualifying as a solicitor at the end of the programme
- predicted or achieved 3 A-Levels in any subject at grade A* - C (or equivalent)
- achieved 5 GCSEs at grade A* - C (or Grade 4 or above) including Maths and English
- a passion and commitment for building your career as a solicitor, and a drive for continuing your studies and learning
- great communication and customer service skills with the ability to be empathetic towards our clients' needs
- strong organisational and prioritisation skills; you'll need to effectively manage your workload and your studies in a fast-paced environment
- the ability to learn new skills and approach new challenges
Why Co-op?
As a Co-op solicitor apprentice, you'll do work that matters in an organisation where principles are just as important as profits. If you're looking for a career where you can make a difference, challenging yourself to learn and grow in the process, then Co-op is the place for you.You'll also get a package that includes…
- coaching, training, and support to help you develop
- 30% off Co-op branded products in our food stores and 10% off all other brands in our food stores
- 28 days holiday (rising to 32 in line with service) plus bank holidays
- annual incentive scheme
- pension with up to 10% employer contributions
- Wagestream - a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
- access to intensive health, financial, and wellbeing support
Building an inclusive workplace
We're actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. We want to build inclusive work environments, where our colleagues have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences, and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve.
If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.
We'll ask whether you'd like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.
If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we'll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.
You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process
If you're successful in your application, we'll perform some background checks as part of our pre-employment screening process. These will include an SRA check, credit checks, and a DBS (disclosure and barring service) check. Please note Co-op does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.
As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.