Addleshaw Goddard the international law firm has announced the opening of 12 new graduate and apprenticeship roles within its UK business services team.

It's the first time the firm has offered graduate and apprenticeship roles within its Business Services function, which includes IT, business development and marketing, human resources, finance, research and risk.

The roles will begin in September 2023 and are advertised across AG's Manchester and Leeds offices. Successful candidates will spend between two- and three-years training across relevant teams, with some undertaking seat rotations to gain experience in different areas of the business.

Several of the placements will offer successful candidates a relevant industry qualification, such as CIPD and AAT.

The firm's hiring process will be undertaken in partnership with Rare, a specialist recruitment agency, using a process of 'contextual recruitment' to help identify strong candidates from a range of different backgrounds and life experiences. To ensure this is reflected during the recruitment process, AG has removed any requirement for graduate candidates to have reached minimum A-level grades. 

The breakdown of roles is as follows:

• There are five graduate scheme roles across the following departments: IT, Business Development & Marketing, and HR.
• There are seven apprenticeship roles across the following departments: Finance, Business Acceptance Unit (BAU), HR, and Research & Knowledge Services.

Addleshaw Goddard was one of the first major firms to launch a legal apprenticeship scheme back in 2013 and has since recruited 54 candidates across various countries, regions and teams. The firm's apprenticeship schemes have traditionally been focused on legal roles, ranging from two to seven years, usually combining a form of paid education with on-the-job training. This year will see the firm's first cohort of solicitor apprentices (all of whom entered the programme in 2017) sit their SQE.

The firm has grown significantly in recent years, opening 16 offices since January 2021 (Paris, Frankfurt, Munich and Luxembourg).  AG recently announced that it is applying for approval to open an office in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following sustained growth of its Middle East practice.

Applications for Addleshaw Goddard's Business Services apprenticeship and graduate programmesare now open and can be accessed via the firm's website. Assessment centres are due to take place in June 2023.

Niki Lawson, HR Director at Addleshaw Goddard, said:

"The quality, imagination and impact delivered over the years by each of our business services teams remains a key ingredient in our client-shaped service and achievements as a business. 

"Attracting, retaining and developing more of the best people is a really important part of our succession planning. I'm pleased we're now in a position to expand our apprenticeship and graduate programmes and support a new generation of talent in the first stages of their careers."

Aisha Saeed, Early Careers Manager at Addleshaw Goddard, said:

"We are excited to offer a variety of alternative career pathways outside of the traditional legal placements at AG. 

"This is the first time we will be welcoming graduates and apprentices within our business services teams, offering a route to train and develop motivated individuals and defining a career pathway for them to succeed in. 

"The programme(s) will not only provide candidates with practical work experience and qualifications but will also prepare them with relevant skills, ready for a bright future upon completion."