Solicitor Apprenticeship 2026

Gordons; City Of London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in London is seeking up to four solicitor apprentices for September 2026. This Level 7 apprenticeship combines work and study, allowing you to qualify as a solicitor without incurring university debt. Candidates should have 5 GCSEs including English and Maths, and be on track for 3 A-Levels at AAB or equivalent. Join us to gain practical experience while pursuing your LLB Law degree.

Qualifications

• Final year of A-Levels or completed school/college.
• At least 18 years old at the start date.
• Right to work in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Learn on-the-job at the London office.
• Study one day a week at university.
• Complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations.

Skills

Attention to detail

Strong communication skills

Ability to work collaboratively

Education

5 GCSEs including English and Maths at grade 9-4/A*-C

3 A-Levels at AAB or equivalent

Job description

Our Solicitor Apprenticeship is a Level 7 qualification combining study with work to allow you to qualify as a solicitor without incurring student debt often associated with attending university. You'll learn on-the-job at our London office, alongside a small cohort of solicitor apprentices, while studying for one day a week at the University of Law to obtain an LLB Law degree and complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE). At the end of the apprenticeship, you'll be a qualified solicitor.

We are now recruiting for up to four solicitor apprentices to join us in September 2026.

Applying to us

Applications open: Midday on 30 October 2025

Deadline: Midday on 30 January 2026

We operate rolling recruitment, which means we screen applications as they are received, rather than after our deadline. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as early as possible.

At the time of submitting your application, you should be:

• in your final year of A-Levels (Year 13) or have already completed school or college (e.g., on a gap year or working);
• at least 18 years of age at the start date of the apprenticeship; and
• have the right to work in the UK.

AND, you should also:

• have achieved 5 GCSEs including English and Maths at grade 9-4/A*-C; and
• have achieved, or be on track to achieve, 3 A-Levels at AAB (or equivalent).

We understand that you may not have received the grade you hoped for due to extenuating or mitigating circumstances. Please detail any relevant information in your application for us to take into consideration. We also use a Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) to enable us to recruit people from different backgrounds and help us understand your achievements in the context in which they were gained.

Using AI in the application process

At Bird & Bird, we are committed to maintaining the integrity of the recruitment process as well as upholding the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct. As part of our ongoing strategy to embrace innovation, we recognise the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in various tasks, including the preparation of application forms, assessments and interviews. However, we wish to emphasise the importance of original thought and personal engagement throughout the recruitment and selection process.

Original thought and personal engagement are essential to your application to Bird & Bird. We value the opportunity to understand your unique perspective and approach – what makes you, you. All responses to application questions must reflect your own thinking, reasoning, and insights. Your ability to articulate your qualifications, experiences, and motivations for a career at Bird & Bird in your own voice is critical to the assessment and evaluation process.

While we acknowledge that AI tools are useful in certain contexts, such as grammar checking or assisting with language structure, we expect candidates to use AI in the application process only where appropriate and within reason. For example:

• AI tools may be used to proofread or enhance the clarity of your application materials.
• AI tools should not be used to generate content or draft responses to interview questions or assessments on your behalf. You should not copy and paste AI-generated text directly into your application form or in any other assessment.

Fundamentally, AI should not be used as a substitute for your own effort, ideas, or writing.

Regardless of the tools used, you are responsible for the content of your answers throughout the recruitment process from application form through to interview. We expect that all information provided by you is truthful, accurate, and genuinely reflective of your qualifications, experience, and motivations.

Please note that in our application process, we collaborate with Vantage which facilitates connections with legal employers such as Bird & Bird. Owned by Rare Recruitment, Vantage functions as a comprehensive database of candidate profiles, enhancing the efficiency of the application process. Rare Recruitment initially acts as the data controller for your personal information until you submit your application to us, after which Bird &Bird assumes responsibility as the data controller. We strongly recommend reviewing Rare Recruitment's Privacy Policy, availablehere . For further details on how Vantage processes your personal data, including access to their Privacy Policy, please refer to the information provided below.