Solicitor Apprentices

Pinsent Masons Llp; Leeds; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in the UK seeks Solicitor Apprentices to gain practical experience in legal projects while studying towards a fully sponsored LLB (Hons) in Legal Practice and Skills degree. Responsibilities include client meeting involvement, legal research, document drafting, and providing legal advice. Candidates must have GCSEs in English and Maths, and A Levels with specified grades.

Benefits

Private healthcare policy

Pension scheme

Interest-free season ticket loan

Interest-free gym membership loan

Cycle to work scheme

Competitive salary

Qualifications

• Engagement in client meetings and legal matters.
• Conduct thorough legal research using appropriate methods.
• Draft documents and correspondence accurately.

Responsibilities

• Assist with client meetings and conduct legal research.
• Draft documents and prepare legal files.
• Engage in legal advocacy in court settings.

Skills

Client meeting involvement

Legal research

Drafting correspondence

Document preparation

Legal advice

Effective advocacy

Negotiation

Case management

Active listening

Education

GCSE in English and Maths (grade C or 4 or above)

A Level in any subjects (grade ABB or above)

Job description

Pinsent Masons is seeking to recruit Solicitor Apprentices to join our Leeds office. This is a unique opportunity to gain practical experience working on real‑life legal projects alongside experienced Solicitors, while studying towards a fully sponsored LLB (Hons) in Legal Practice and Skills degree and completing SQE.

Responsibilities

• Be involved in client meetings
• Assist solicitors with legal matters
• Conduct legal research
• Draft correspondence and documents
• Prepare files and bundles
• Preparing client training
• Leading client meetings
• Progressing legal matters and transactions
• Find, analyse, and assess documents to extract relevant information including recognising when additional information is needed, interpreting and evaluating information obtained, recording and presenting information accurately and clearly.
• Recognise when legal research is needed and use appropriate methods and resources including identifying, finding and assessing the relevance of sources of law, interpreting, evaluating and applying research results, recording and presenting findings of research accurately and clearly.
• Develop strategies and solutions including an understanding of a client's commercial and personal circumstances, their needs, objectives, priorities and constraints.
• Provide advice which is informed by appropriate and factual legal analysis and identifying the consequences of different options.
• Draft documents from scratch and use precedents which address all legal and factual issues, complying with all formalities and using clear, accurate and succinct language.
• Undertake effective spoken and written advocacy in court and outside of formal court hearings including: effective preparation by identifying and mastering relevant facts and legal principles, organising facts to support an argument or position, present a reasoned argument in a clear, logical, succinct persuasive way, make appropriate references to legal authority, comply with formalities, deal with witnesses appropriately, respond effectively to questions or opposing arguments, identify strengths and weaknesses from different parties' perspectives.
• Negotiate solutions to clients' issues including: identify all parties' interests, objectives and limits, developing and formulating best options for meeting parties' objectives, presenting options for compromises persuasively, responding to options presented by the other side, developing compromises between options or parties.
• Plan and manage legal cases and transactions including applying relevant processes and procedures to progress matters effectively, assessing, communicating and managing risk, bringing a transaction or case to a conclusion.
• Obtain relevant facts by effective questioning and active listening.
• Travel within the UK and Ireland will be required during your apprenticeship. We will help you book your travel and reimburse any travel‑related business expenses in line with our policy to enable you to meet the business needs and access relevant training opportunities.
• In the first four years of your apprenticeship, you will be based in two legal teams, spending two years in each. During the final two years, you will join the trainee solicitor cohort and undertake six‑month placements in four different departments, gaining broad exposure to commercial law.

Qualifications

• GCSE in English, Maths, and three other subjects (grade C or 4 or above)
• A Level in any subjects (grade ABB or above). Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Training schedule

Solicitor Apprentices have a dedicated weekly study day studying legal foundation subjects, skills modules and preparing for a range of assessments, including the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). They spend the remaining four days per week working with colleagues in the office. Solicitor Apprentices complete weekly tasks and receive regular feedback from their subject tutor, as well as meet with the Skills Coach to support their progress.

Company information

Pinsent Masons is a global law firm with over 3,800 employees operating in over 29 offices across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. We have a long‑standing reputation for delivering high‑quality legal advice rooted in a deep understanding of the sectors and geographies in which our clients operate. Our core values are Approachable, Bold and Connected and as a firm we hold these in high regard. Personally and collectively, we live them every day and our firm is a better place for it. We pride ourselves on being an innovative law firm who put people at the heart of the business. Pinsent Masons won the Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe award for the third time at the 2023 Financial Times Innovative Lawyer Awards Europe. The firm has been awarded Gold Employer status in this year’s 2025 Global Workplace Equality Index by Stonewall, recognising our continued commitment to fostering an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace. We are proud to be a Top 75 Employer in the Social Mobility Index 2025. This recognition highlights our commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. We’re proud to have been placed amongst RateMyApprenticeship Best 100 Employers 2024‑2025.

Benefits

• Private healthcare policy
• Pension scheme
• Interest‑free season ticket loan
• Interest‑free gym membership loan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Competitive salary for the duration of the programme (the apprenticeship is fully funded, so apprentices have no university fees and earn a competitive salary for the duration of the programme.)

EEO statement

We are proud of our inclusive workplace. Pinsent Masons awards Gold Employer status in this year’s 2025 Global Workplace Equality Index by Stonewall and place ourselves among 2024‑2025 RateMyApprenticeship Best 100 Employers. We are committed to fostering an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace and an inclusive and equitable workplace.