Member Article

University option for high flying legal apprentices

Manchester Metropolitan University is offering the ‘best of both worlds’ for high flying legal apprentices

This summer, academic high-flyers won’t have to choose between University or work, they can have the ‘best of both worlds’ thanks to a new Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services - provided by the Manchester Law School at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

MMU is the only accredited UK University providing advanced and higher legal apprenticeships, which blend University learning with employment in leading law firms.

In 2013 the University launched its Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services, which was a pilot programme in partnership with Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the Employer Skills Group of local legal firms. 40 Manchester apprentices have just completed and attended a graduation ceremony at MMU’s £75 million new faculty of Business and Law. They are the first to quality among the UK’s first 300 advanced legal apprentices.

MMU’s legal partners include: Slater and Gordon, Horwich Farelly, Birchall Blackburn, Chafes, Davis Blank Furness, Russell & Russell, SAS Daniels, Slater Heelis, Express and Stephensons Solicitors.

From September, MMU will offer the Level 4 programme (equivalent to first year degree) alongside its existing Level 3 Apprenticeship. This new Higher Apprenticeship offers an academically rigorous and specialist route for students, who can select either personal injury, commercial litigation, or debt recovery and insolvency pathways. For the employer, this provides accelerated fee earning potential.

Both apprenticeships are also open to existing legal staff who want to develop their careers. The programmes are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) and lead to nationally recognised CILEx diploma awards. As such, qualifying apprentices can choose to remain in their job as a paralegal, or work towards qualification as a Chartered Legal Executive, licensed conveyancer, or solicitor. They also have an opportunity to complete a full law degree.

Jackie Panter, Associate Head of Law for MMU, said: “The success of the Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship programme bodes very well for the new Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services. We were oversubscribed with applicants and employers were able to select from some very bright young people. These apprentices have made a real impact in the workplace and many are earning fees in paralegal roles. The fact that most employers have chosen to retain and give their apprentices permanent contracts and promotions is testimony to the value of the programme “.

Apprenticeship students are employed full-time within the legal workplace, usually on a two-year contract. They are assessed in the workplace as to competency in legal knowledge and skills in areas such as legal research and communicating with clients. They also undertake exams in core subject areas. This enables apprentices to contextualise their studies with real-life experiences and to put theory into practice.

The Higher Apprenticeship has been developed by MMU with support from City Deal Capacity Building funding from New Economy. Employers are eligible for 100% government funding for training employees aged 16-18 and 50% for 19-24 year-olds.

Commenting on the Legal Services Apprenticeship partnership with MMU, Caroline Calverley, Practice Manager Chafes Solicitors LLP says: “Following the recession Chafes identified the difficulty in recruiting good conveyancers, our solution was to train our own. The Legal Services Apprenticeship Programme allowed us to do this. Having the apprentices learning at MMU meant that we had confidence our apprentice could attend their lectures and the tuition would be of a high standard.”

Emily Hemlin has just qualified as an advanced legal apprentice with Slater and Gordon. She said: “I have been promoted to a Paralegal in the family team after completing my apprenticeship and will now study part-time at Manchester Metropolitan University for a full law degree. Being able to get hands-on experience and study aspects of Law at University, while getting paid has been great. I’ve gained lots of responsibility and experience, which has given me a valuable start in my legal career and prepared me for my new role.”

MMU is recruiting legal partners for its Higher Apprentice programme. For further information contact: Laura Holohan on 0161 247 6043 l.holohan@mmu.ac.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Manchester Metropolitan University Centre for Enterprise .