Graduate solicitor apprenticeship

What is a graduate solicitor apprenticeship?

Our graduate solicitor apprenticeship is for those who have completed their law degree, or those who have completed a non-law degree and the PGDL (or equivalent). You can apply from the penultimate year of your law degree, or final year of your non-law degree. If you have already commenced study towards, or completed, your Legal Practice Course (LPC), please see our training contract pathway which follows the same application process.

Our graduate solicitor apprenticeship will support you through to qualification as a solicitor by completion of the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE1 and SQE2). As you are not required to complete the SQE before joining the firm, you are able to start straight from your degree or PGDL - gaining more on-the-job experience, and earning a salary, earlier.

Our apprenticeship is a 32-month programme designed to provide you with an excellent training experience leading to your qualification as a solicitor. You’ll be able to test your skills across five seats within the business whilst supported by a robust network. You will be given the opportunity to learn from legal experts whilst completing high quality work with responsibly and client exposure.

If you are currently already studying towards the SQE, unfortunately you are not eligible for our programme due to repetition of content.

What is included in the Weightmans graduate solicitor apprenticeship?

You will complete five work placements in teams across the business. One day each week will be dedicated to off-the-job learning whilst completing your solicitor qualifying exams (SQE1 and SQE2) with BPP University Law School, with all fees paid by the firm.

View course outline

Is the graduate solicitor apprenticeship for you?

To apply for the role of trainee solicitor you will be a graduate or be due to graduate before September 2026. If your degree is not a qualifying law degree (LLB) you will be required to also complete a post graduate diploma in law (or equivalent) before commencing your training. If you are currently already studying towards the SQE, unfortunately you are not eligible for our programme due to repetition of content.

Our trainee solicitors will develop the competencies listed below as they progress through the programme. These competencies are also used to help shape our early careers recruitment processes; we assess for potential in these areas, but we do not expect experience.

• Reasons and problem solves effectively with complex data and information and learns quickly.
• Plans, organises, prioritises and manages resources and time.
• IT literate.
• Has a strong commercial focus.
• Emotionally resilient, mature and positive when the going gets tough.
• Customer-centric — both internal and external.
• Flexible and adaptable.
• Demonstrates integrity.
• Is achievement-driven, shows initiative, takes responsibility with a ‘can do’ attitude.
• Committed to continuous improvement.
• Attends to the detail and is quality minded.
• Self‐aware — knows own strengths and weaknesses.
• Demonstrates effective communication both verbally and in writing.
• Assertive and socially confident.
• Influential and persuasive.
• Team player and team builder who networks effectively.
• Diplomatic, tactful and empathic.
• Interpersonally skilled, reads people and situations and then adapts accordingly.
• Aware of and propagates a positive and professional image and persona.

Why choose Weightmans 

We want to help you nurture a career you love, providing a working life and environment you’ll not only enjoy but a place where you’ll love coming to work every day. We’ll challenge you to meet your potential and support you to achieve it. And then celebrate and reward your success.

In 2024, our commitment to the development and satisfaction of our employees was confirmed with the Top Employers Institute certification for the 17th year. The independent research highlighted our dedication to a better world of work through excellent HR policies and people practices.

We are truly committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion where everyone in the firm is respected and recognised on merit for the work that they do.

In our offices, we have unique and open spaces accompanied by agile working for great work-life harmony. With a focus on learning and development of our people, we are proud to have consistently high trainee solicitor retention rates.

As much as we work hard, we like to play hard too! Having work/life harmony is something we value for all our people. Our social calendar is always full, from theatre visits and quizzes to office parties. Each of our offices has an active social committee who are always looking for new members to get involved. We will encourage our graduates to keep in touch as a national cohort with training and annual events.

We pride ourselves in our CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) work and support a number of deserving charities, both nationally and local to our offices, including Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, Francis House, Simon on the Streets and many more. As part of our commitment, all staff receive two days of paid CSR leave each year, and each office has a local committee who are always looking for new members, and this may be something you would like to be a part of once you join us.

How to apply

Please note that applications have now closed and we are unable to accept any further applications. Applications will reopen in Autumn 2025.

To be notified when applications reopen, please fill in the expression of interest form below.

Claims Only Route

We are committed to  attracting and building our  talent to continue our delivery of excellence to our Insurance, Healthcare and Public Sector clients .

Therefore we are delighted to introduce a Claims specific training contract which will give you the opportunity to undertake various seats within our Claims Division to understand the breadth and depth of claims work and the many and varied clients that we work with . This experience will then give you the opportunity to qualify into Claims by working in our Healthcare, Casualty and Large Loss departments.

We will provide you with very focused partner led training : not just on the work but on client interaction and management and a good understanding of the market(s)  in which you will operate. You will spend longer in seats to get a richer experience and benefit from the valuable Partner input and a focused programme designed to launch your career.

You will  emerge  from the training contract as a marketable , proficient and confident litigator with good broad skills and competencies to flourish.

Applications welcomed for all of our office locations.

We welcome you to contact us if you have any queries regarding this process.

Meet us and find out more

We will be attending careers fairs and hosting our own open evenings in the autumn/winter.

Arrange a chat to find out more

If you have any further questions or queries, please email earlycareers@weightmans.com and one of our team will arrange to give you a call.

Summer vacation scheme

Details regarding our 2025 summer vacation scheme will be published in the autumn.