Apprenticeship
Schemes
Kick start your career by gaining invaluable work experience in a top law firm whilst studying towards a recognised qualification.
An alternative to university
We recognise that university is not for everyone and welcome a pathway that acknowledges a different approach to kick start your career. Earn a salary from day one and build your skills and knowledge with experienced reputable professionals. Our Apprenticeship Schemes provide individuals with invaluable work experience in an award winning premium law firm.
Our Legal Apprenticeships are open
We are accepting applications for our Paralegal and Solicitor Apprenticeships until Monday 5 January 2026 at 12pm (GMT). Applications are not assessed on a rolling basis, but we may close applications earlier subject to demand.
MEET OUR PEOPLE
The best advocates of our Early Career Programmes are the people who work here. See what they have to say about the Apprenticeship Schemes.
PARALEGAL APPRENTICESHIP
As a Paralegal Apprentice, you will support Paralegals and Senior Paralegals within the Transaction Services Team (TST), as well as fee earners from across the Firm, with a range of legal tasks. You will have the opportunity to experience different sub-teams within the TST during your apprenticeship. You may also have the opportunity to apply for a placement in our Innovation and Legal Technology team, or in the TST in Scotland.
This is a busy and varied role, with work coming from any of the Firm's Practice Groups. As a Paralegal Apprentice, you will work on a range of assignments, with the complexity and responsibility increasing as you progress through the programme.
Qualification achieved: Paralegal level 3 apprenticeship + Level 4 Cert of HE in Legal Services (equivalent to first year of an undergraduate degree).
Progression route: There are many opportunities to develop your career in law at Addleshaw Goddard, such as progressing on to the Solicitor Apprenticeship (with exemptions), further study to qualify as a Chartered Legal Executive or even pursue a career in managing other Paralegals.
Key Information
When to apply: Applications will open on Monday 1 December 2025 and will close at 12pm on Monday 5 January 2026. However, we may close applications earlier depending on the volume of applications we receive.
Deadline to complete the Workplace Scenario Assessment: 11:59pm on Monday 5 January 2026
Training Provider: BPP University
Duration: 24 months
Locations: Leeds and Manchester.
Study days: One allocated day a week.
Entry requirements: Minimum of three A-levels at grades C or above or equivalent UCAS points and five GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English and Maths (or equivalent).
SOLICITOR APPRENTICESHIP
As a Solicitor Apprentice, you will support the Paralegals and Senior Paralegals within the Transaction Services Team (TST), as well as fee earners across the Firm, with a range of legal tasks. Like our Paralegal Apprentices, you will have the opportunity to experience different sub-teams within the TST during your apprenticeship. You may also have the opportunity to apply to apply for a placement in our Innovation and Legal Technology team, or in the TST in Scotland.
This is a busy and varied role, with work coming from any of the Firm's Practice Groups. As a Solicitor Apprentice, you will work on a range of assignments, with the complexity and responsibility increasing as you progress through the programme.
You will spend one day per week studying with our training provider, BPP University, where you will work towards your Law degree. Addleshaw Goddard will cover the entire tuition fee and you will also earn a salary from day one, which will increase as you progress during your training.
Upon obtaining your Law degree, you will begin to prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) part 1 and 2. Once you have successfully completed the exams, you will then become a qualified Solicitor and have the opportunity to apply for Newly Qualified roles within Addleshaw Goddard.
Qualification achieved: Solicitor Level 7 Apprenticeship LLB (Hons) Law and Legal Practice awarded by BPP University.
Key Information
When to apply: Applications will open on Monday 1 December 2025 and will close at 12pm on Monday 5 January 2026. However, we may close applications earlier depending on the volume of applications we receive.
Deadline to complete the Critical Thinking Test: 11:00pm on Monday 5 January 2026
Deadline to complete the Workplace Scenario Assessment: 11:59pm on Monday 5 January 2026
Training Provider: BPP University
Duration: 4 – 6 years (depending on exemptions)
Locations: Leeds and Manchester. Other locations will vary depending on business needs.
Study days: One allocated day a week.
Entry requirements: Three A-levels at grades ABB and five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths (or equivalent).
Please note, that the minimum A-level grades are not required if you are progressing from the Paralegal Apprenticeship.
BUSINESS SERVICES APPRENTICESHIPS
Are you looking to start a career in Business Services?
Join us as we invest in our Early Talent across a number of Business Services teams. Across Summer 2025, we have hired apprentices across Finance Operations, Onboarding, Legal Support, Responsible Business, Early Careers, Learning & Development and Resourcing. Each of our apprenticeship programmes will be aligned to a beneficial and engaging qualification, fully funded by AG with your development and progression in mind.
Key Information
Applications open: Spring 2026 (date to be confirmed)
Applications close: Spring 2026 (date to be confirmed)
Intake: September/October 2026.
Location: Leeds or Manchester
Duration: Apprenticeships at AG will typically last 2-3 years and will be led by the qualification length.
Entry requirements: Entry requirements will vary role to role but typically will include a minimum of three A-levels at grades C or above or equivalent UCAS points and five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths (or equivalent).
Find out more about Addleshaw Goddard
Seats available within TST
APPRENTICESHIP APPLICATION PROCESS
REGISTRATION Form & Further Testing
Candidates will be required to disclose their qualifications to ensure they meet the requirements of the apprenticeship and must complete the relevant online registration form.
Candidates who apply for the Paralegal and Solicitor Apprenticeships will be required to complete a Workplace Scenario Assessment (WSA) as part of this stage. This will present hypothetical work-related situations, and will allow us to assess your judgement and decision making abilities.
Candidates who apply for the Solicitor Apprenticeship will also be required to complete a Critical Thinking Test (CTT). No prior subject knowledge is required; instead, we focus on your skills in thinking clearly, questioning information, and making decisions based on logic rather than emotion or bias.
Please note that for roles where a test(s) are required, these must be completed prior to the application deadline. We will close applications at 12pm on the day of the deadline to allow time to complete any outstanding tests before 11:59pm that same day. More generally, we recommend applying at least one week prior to the application deadline.
Please note that for our legal opportunities, we accept one application per intake year. Therefore you can only apply for one location and position so please ensure you have decided these details before applying.
Voice interview
Depending on the outcome of your application form and further testing (where required), you will be invited to complete a voice interview. The voice interview can be recorded at a time and location convenient to you.
During this stage, individual questions will appear and you'll have a short amount of time to plan your response, before having to record and submit your attempt.
We use this stage of the process to understand your motivations for the role and working at Addleshaw Goddard.
Assessment Centre
Successful applicants will be invited to our offices for the final assessment process and meet us in person. The assessments comprise of a motivational and competency-based interview, in tray exercise and group assessment (UK only).
Regardless of the type of opportunity or the level of the role, we are looking for a number of skills to be demonstrated in the application process:
Attention to detail: It is important to avoid making mistakes, for example spelling, punctuation, grammar and other typographical errors. Spotting errors and correcting them is one way that you can show us that you have this skill in our process.
Commercial Awareness: This is staying up to date on developments in the business and commercial world and considering how this might affect our Firm and our clients. It's something that you develop over a period of time.
Career motivation: Show us that you are committed to starting your career your chosen field and at Addleshaw Goddard. Remember that you may need to articulate that in the voice interview or assessment centre.
Teamwork: We have a collaborative culture so it's important that you can work well with others. Show us that you can listen, communicate and share ideas. This is something that will be assessed in the group assessment in the assessment centre.
Knowledge of Addleshaw Goddard: It is extremely important to research Addleshaw Goddard before starting your application and to understand how you personally align with the Firm.
Communication skills: As a people-focused business, we are looking for individuals who can speak, listen, observe and emphasise. You will use your communication skills when dealing with stakeholders internally and externally and this will be assessed at various stages of the application process.
What are we looking for?
In the registration form, selection is based on strong academics, motivation and attention to detail. Our minimum entry requirement is role dependent and more information is available in the individual apprenticeship profiles above.
We're looking for apprentices who will embrace change, welcome technology and be constantly learning. With this in mind, applicants who wish to can utilise advanced conversational AI models (such as ChatGPT or Gemini), but we ask that use is limited to refining and developing your individual thoughts, rather than replacing them.
In the Workplace Scenario Assessment, we are looking at your ability to process unfamiliar scenarios and define your actions to assess whether your judgment demonstrates commercial understanding and aligns with our expectations for our apprentices.
In the Critical Thinking Test we are looking at your ability to conceptualise, apply, analyse and evaluate information in order to reach a meaningful conclusion. These are the skills you will need as a solicitor.
Top tips
- Make sure your registration form is free from errors. We often see forms that include typos, have issues with spelling, punctuation and grammar. Complete all sections of the form to the best of your ability and ensure you have provided the necessary information.
- There's space to provide any additional information in regards to your application. If you have any mitigating circumstances, we strongly encourage you to include this information.
- If you have a disability or long-term health condition, we'll provide any adjustments and/or support that you need during the recruitment process. Please let us know in your registration form if you would benefit from any adjustments and email us earlycareers@addleshawgoddard.com.
- We give all candidates access to a full suite of practice tests they can use before completing the live test. Having the familiarity with the structure of the test and questions asked will put you in good stead for the real test.
- When undertaking the test we recommend you find a quiet, comfortable place where you will be uninterrupted with a solid internet connection. If you experience any technical issues during the test please take a screenshot of the issues and email earlycareers@addleshawgoddard.com, without this we will be unable to assist you with your issue.
What are we looking for?
If you are successfully invited through to the second stage of our process, you will be invited to our voice interview.
The voice interview is different to a telephone interview, it's something that you would complete online in your own time. You'll be able to see yourself on the recording, but the Early Careers team will not be able to see this.
Before you start your interview, there is the opportunity to practice recording so that you can get used to the system and to check that your sound is working.
When you are ready to start your interview, the question will be played on video, when the video ends, the question will remain on screen in text form and you will have 30 seconds to think about the content and structure of your answer. You will then have one minute and 30 seconds to record your answer. There are typically 2-3 questions in total.
The voice interview should take around 10 minutes to complete, including practice time.
We are looking for people who have clearly researched the firm and who have an understanding of the type of work that an apprentice will be required to do and an appreciation of the skills that they will need to have in order to succeed. There may also be an opportunity to demonstrate your commercial awareness.
Top tips
- Before you start the voice interview, we recommend that you find yourself a suitable place to complete the assessment, ideally a quiet spot with good internet connection, where you are unlikely to be disturbed. We know that some people may not have a suitable environment to do this at home although you could find a quiet spot in your local library.
- Whilst we won't see your video, we recommend dressing in professional attire as this will help with your mindset.
- Use the practice time to familiarise yourself with the system and to make sure that your sound is working correctly.
- Make the most of your thinking time and the time to answer the questions.
- It's okay if you make a mistake, it's how you recover which is the most important part.
- Try to link your responses back to the role, the firm and the apprenticeship offering.
- If you experience any technical difficulties with the voice interview, please take a screenshot of the error message and send it to earlycareers@addleshawgoddard.com as we are unable to reset interviews without this.
- If you require any adjustments to the voice interview process, please do let us know prior to completing the interview.
What are we looking for?
The assessment centre is the first stage where you will meet Addleshaw Goddard representatives and have the opportunity to convey your motivation and suitability for the role within a number of different contexts.
We're looking for apprentices who can thrive within different scenarios, showing that they can demonstrate soft skills which we feel are essential for the role, such as communication, collaboration and creative thinking skills.
There might be some areas which don't align with your strengths, and that's okay. We're not looking for perfection, but someone who can be adaptable and perform well across the board.
Top tips
Interview
- Try to shake off any interview nerves by making conversation with assessors at appropriate times, and utilise the warm up question to assist with settling yourself.
- Understand the type of questions that you will be asked in advance, as this will inform your preparation.
- Practice motivational questions e.g. why Addleshaw Goddard, why the role, why an apprenticeship, and become familiar with speaking your answers out loud. Even if these questions don't get asked, you will feel more confident knowing that your motivation is strong.
- Listen carefully to the question and take time to consider your response before responding. You can also ask for the question to be repeated if helpful.
- Identify opportunities to link back to the question throughout your response and if possible, tie this in with Addleshaw Goddard and knowledge of the role.
- Prepare questions for your interviewers which demonstrate genuine curiosity for the role, the firm and the programme.
Group Exercise
- Consider where your strengths lie - for example, are you a collaborator, a leader, a facilitator? How might you bring these skills into the exercise?
- Make valuable contributions within the task.
- Be focused on completing the aims of the exercise within the allotted time.
- You may deal with individuals who you don't automatically gel with, and that's okay. If you have any difficult group dynamics, you should handle these with grace and positivity and only focus on your own performance.
- If you can, consider whether you can bring in Addleshaw Goddard knowledge to this exercise.
In-Tray Exercise
- Read the instructions very carefully, making sure you understand the task before starting.
- Time management will be crucial!
- Identify proof-reading tactics which will help you to succeed and factor in time for this at the end of the exercise.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM OUR LEGAL APPRENTICESHIPS?
You will receive support and guidance from the moment you apply.
Preparation evening
The TST team host a pre-assessment centre workshop to ensure you have all the information available to prepare you for the assessment centre - including details about the interview process, group exercise and proof reading exercise.
Pre-induction
You will be invited to attend a welcome evening prior to starting your apprenticeship with us. Hosted by the TST team, the aim of the welcome evening is to provide you with a structured overview of the sub teams, the level of work you will be involved in within the TST and you will also meet your new Line Manager and members of your team. As well as this, you will have the opportunity to network with your future colleagues and key members of the TST team and will be provided with all necessary materials to enhance your understanding of Addleshaw Goddard prior to joining.
Your first day
On your first day of induction to the firm, you will have the opportunity to meet and network with the rest of your cohort and will meet your team and apprentice buddy who is on hand to support your learning journey. The induction programme is a mix of key skills and development training to ensure you feel empowered to begin your apprenticeship at Addleshaw Goddard. You will also be required to attend an apprenticeship induction with BPP University, where you will receive all the relevant training and support to aid your studies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have any questions which haven't been answered here? You can check out our Frequently Asked Questions for more support, or contact the Early Careers Team for more information.
Why join Addleshaw Goddard?
We work with nearly half of the FTSE 100 and many have been with us for more than 20 years. You'll get stuck in with big projects and on international brands from day one. Are you up for the challenge? Find out why Addleshaw Goddard is the right next step for you.