Chance to earn while you learn in a supportive environment.
If you can earn while you learn at the same time as having fun, there is a lot to be said for choosing a legal degree apprenticeship!
And that’s exactly what Jay Proudler, a solicitor apprentice who is currently part of Jacksons’ dispute resolution team is doing.
“If you are set on being a solicitor like I was from year 9 or year 10, then it’s a great option,” he says, adding there is a benefit to gaining experience while you study – not to mention the fact you avoid student loans debt.
“When I was looking at the apprenticeship, it offered invaluable experience over six to seven years of working alongside people in the profession, which sets me up really nicely.
“It also offers opportunities such as not having student debt, which can carry on for a long time.
“You earn on the job as well, making a salary along the way.”
Jay adds his day-to-day role varies depending on which department he is working in.
When he was in conveyancing, he was involved in the process of buying and selling houses and talking to clients involved in these transactions.
Now, as he sits in dispute resolution, he enjoys researching the law and advising clients involved in a variety of disputes.
Jay particularly enjoys legal research but says it’s an advantage of the degree apprenticeship that he can try out lots of different departments before he decides where he would like to specialise.
“Going through the apprenticeship lets me really understand what area of law I want to be in,” he says, admitting that he has had experience of multiple departments and realising certain areas are not where he wants to be, even though the content at university was quite interesting.
“There have been some seats I have been in where both the content at university was interesting, and the department was a really fun environment to work in and something I enjoyed.
“There are still seats left to go and there are still areas of law left to discover, but the main benefit of going this way will be by the end of it, hopefully, I will know exactly which department I want to be in and I can qualify there, with experience.”
Speaking of the advice he would give to others considering a degree apprenticeship, he advised giving thought to what you want to get out of a degree.
“It’s a better way to go if you’re sure [that you want to be a solicitor]” he says.
Jay adds that Jacksons is a great place to work and its motto about taking care rings true for him.
“I feel like I’ve been taken care of in all aspects of my life – even away from work, no matter what life throws at me, Jacksons are always there to support me,” he says.
“I thoroughly enjoy legal research and people open up that door to allow me to expand my knowledge and explore more.”
Jay also enjoys the social aspect of working for Jacksons and attending the many events organised by the firm or its partners, which is also good for networking with his peers and those in other professions.
“It’s all a really fun part of the job for me,” he says.
David Armitage is a fourth-year solicitor apprentice, currently working in the corporate and commercial team at Jacksons.
David admits that when he was in sixth form, he was set on going to university to study law or something similar – until he received an email about different degree apprenticeship opportunities.
“As I started to look into it, the opportunity to earn while you learn and get the academic side as well as the experience seemed like too much of a good opportunity to pass up,” he said.
David currently assists fee earners within the department with transactional work and drafting ancillary documents for things like share purchases and filing information with Companies House.
This has supported his career development immensely, as he learns on the job working alongside fee earning solicitors.
“The apprenticeship has been really good to get a lot of experience,” he said.
“I’ve worked through a few different departments and spent time in residential conveyancing and commercial property and now I have spent a year in the corporate and commercial team.
“By the time I qualify I will have spent four years in the corporate and commercial department, getting hands on experience working on different transactions, which will be really helpful when I qualify.”
Because of the benefits of this experience, David has no hesitation in recommending a degree apprenticeship to other students looking at their next career move.
He adds: “I would strongly recommend you get some work experience, even if you’re not considering doing an apprenticeship in law.
“With any different degree apprenticeship that you’re thinking about doing, getting as much experience as you can in that area will be really helpful.
“It’s a long course and it’s quite intense so you don’t want to get down the road and realise that it’s not actually for you, so get experience early on and make sure it’s something that you enjoy and is what you want to do.”
David echoes Jay’s sentiment that everyone at Jacksons is really supportive, making it an enjoyable place in which to work.
He said: “Ever since I first started in conveyancing, there has always been people around and available to help or answer any questions that you might have.
“I’ve recently been learning about equity and trusts at university and when I needed some help with some of the questions that we’d been looking at – the exam style questions – being able to speak to one of the solicitors in our wills, trusts and probate team was very useful.
“They sat down and gave me some time to go through the questions and pointed out some things that I might have missed and picked up anything that I’d done well.”
The chance to be guided by professionals from day one is what attracted Evie Jones to her solicitor apprenticeship.
Evie is currently working in residential conveyancing, and, like the other apprentices, she is pleased to be able to access the university route at the same time as learning on the job and avoiding student debt.
Evie says: “My day to day is nice and busy and I liaise with clients from nine to five.
“I draft contracts for fee earners, and I help them manage files and open new files.”
Evie echoes her colleagues’ points that having the chance to move throughout the firm is supporting her career development.
“I will be able to get the chance to work in all the different departments and work alongside my colleagues and experience what different areas of law are like,” she says.
Evie says other work experience is crucial to help people succeed in obtaining a place on a degree apprenticeship.
Asked what advice she would give future applicants, she says: “Get as much work experience as you can – get that part time job as a waitress, build your people skills – everything builds up towards the end goal of being able to get that apprenticeship.”
Evie enjoys working as part of a friendly team at Jacksons and “getting to work alongside professionals”.
She also benefits from getting to stay in her hometown while working and studying.
“I get to stay at home on Teesside, and I have that support system built around me,” she says.
“A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to go back into my old sixth form and talk to a few students about the apprenticeship and answer their questions – and inspire them maybe.”
Oliver McPartland is a third-year solicitor apprentice, currently working in the commercial property department.
He was motivated to pursue this course as it is the best of both worlds – both working and studying – which he describes as “really beneficial”.
He is actively involved in drafting leases, licences and rent deposit deeds, which provides him with valuable experience.
“I do a lot of drafting of my own files and also senior colleagues’ files, and I have a lot of client contact, whether that’s over the phone, emails or Teams calls,” he says.
“The hands-on experience you get through moving to different departments helps you to gain a great understanding of which area you’re looking to qualify into.”
Oliver advises future degree apprenticeship students to research the firm they are applying to and gain an understanding of its values.
“Then, you can tailor your application to those values and speak about those and discuss those in any interview or any application,” he says.
Amie Callan, Head of Operations at Jacksons, says: “All our degree apprentices are valuable members of our team who all bring something unique to the departments they work in, which is of great benefit to the company as a whole.
“We are keen to continue to promote this route to becoming a solicitor, which greatly benefits the successful young people involved, as they have all outlined in their video interviews.
“I am pleased all the solicitor apprentices who have been interviewed highlight our friendly culture and the help and support they get here at Jacksons, as well as the many ways the degree apprenticeship route benefits them in terms of their career development and lifestyle.”
Jay, David, Oliver and Evie should all be extremely proud of their achievements to date and their contributions to Jacksons.
When we say we put people first, we mean it. That’s why we’ve created a flexible, friendly and collaborative place to work where people are supported every day.
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