Recruiting the lawyers of tomorrow and finding new and creative ways of doing so remains a key priority for Addleshaw Goddard. One of the first firms to introduce apprenticeships as a career path, AG is welcoming its fourth cohort of legal apprentices. 

Ten apprentices have joined the firm as part of its market-leading Transaction Services Team and will be based across its Manchester and Leeds offices. 

The Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship, delivered in conjunction with BPP Law School, incorporates the equivalent of a first year of an undergraduate law degree. The two year programme will provide the ten apprentices with extensive in-house and external training as well as tailored assessments providing them with the legal and administrative skills to progress into other roles within TST and the firm.

Upon completion of the qualification, the apprentices will be promoted to Paralegals and can continue with further study, including the option to progress on to the Solicitor Apprenticeship scheme which offers ambitious individuals an alternative route to becoming fully qualified solicitors at AG.

Mike Potter, Head of the Transaction Services Team, comments: "The legal profession continues to change and as a firm we must continue to adopt our way of working to fit with these changes, one being the way we recruit our lawyers of tomorrow.

"As a firm, we are committed to redesigning the way legal work is done, and passionate about providing a new and innovative approaches to attracting and developing great people. We see apprenticeships as an invaluable opportunity for harnessing talent. Our long-standing apprenticeship programme is standout in giving apprentices immediate experience of the workplace, and is an excellent alternative to the traditional university route to qualification.

"Apprentices provide a whole new talent pool for the future and allow us to be more agile when responding to client needs. They bring new commitment and energy, whilst offering a more efficient way of delivering elements of our legal services, particularly in large transactions and complex cases. I firmly believe apprenticeships will help shape the future of careers in the legal sector.”

AG first launched its legal apprenticeship programme in 2013, and since then has recruited 22 paralegal apprentices and 6 solicitor apprentices. The TST forms part the Firm's Intelligent Delivery approach which offer new possibilities and innovative solutions for how legal services are delivered.