Legal Apprenticeship
BURGES SALMON LLP
Bristol (BS2 0ZX)
Closes on Monday 10 November 2025
Posted on 18 September 2025
Contents
Summary
Our programme allows you to qualify as a solicitor by completing the Level 7 Solicitor apprenticeship over a period of six years. You will spend 4 days a week working at the firm under the supervision of qualified lawyers and 1 day studying for legal qualifications. During the apprenticeship, you will spend time in several legal areas.
- Wage
-
£25,000 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Year 1 - £25,000 Year 2 - £27,000 Year 3 - £30,000 Year 4 - £34,000 Year 5 Solicitor (same as Year 1 Trainee Solicitor) - £49,500 Year 4 Solicitor (same as Year 2 Trainee Solicitor) - £51,500 *As of September 2025
- Training course
- Solicitor (level 7)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9:15 am to 5:15 pm, with an hour lunch break.
Your study day (which is typically on a Monday) is blocked out and you will not be expected to take on any work for the firm on this day.
35 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
2 years
- Positions available
-
4
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Handling confidential client correspondence: Managing and organising sensitive communications with clients, ensuring confidentiality and accuracy
- Conducting legal research: Investigating legal precedents, statutes, and regulations to support ongoing cases and provide accurate information
- Checking attendance notes for any mistakes: Reviewing and correcting notes from meetings and court attendances to ensure they are error-free and comprehensive
- Finding available court hearing dates: Coordinating and scheduling court appearances by identifying suitable dates for hearings
- Billing: Preparing and managing invoices for legal services rendered, ensuring all billable hours and expenses are accurately recorded
- Additionally, the work environment is highly collaborative, with ample support from colleagues. Apprentices are not relegated to mundane tasks; instead, they are actively involved in meaningful work. There’s always something new to learn, and the variety of tasks ensures a dynamic and engaging experience
Where you'll work
One
Glass Wharf
Bristol
BS2 0ZX
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
BPP UNIVERSITY LIMITED
Training course
Solicitor (level 7)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Obtain relevant facts by effective questioning and active listening.
- Find, analyse, and assess documents to extract relevant information including recognising when additional information is needed , interpreting and evaluating information obtained, recording and presenting information accurately and clearly.
- Recognise when legal research is needed and use appropriate methods and resources including identifying, finding and assessing the relevance of sources of law, interpreting, evaluating and applying research results, recording and presenting findings of research accurately and clearly.
- Develop strategies and solutions including an understanding of a client’s commercial and personal circumstances, their needs, objectives, priorities and constraints.
- Provide advice which is informed by appropriate and factual legal analysis and identifying the consequences of different options.
- Draft documents from scratch and use precedents which address all legal and factual issues, complying with all formalities and using clear, accurate and succinct language.
- Undertake effective spoken and written advocacy in court and outside of formal court hearings including: effective preparation by identifying and mastering relevant facts and legal principles, organize facts to support an argument or position, present a reasoned argument in a clear, logical, succinct persuasive way, make appropriate references to legal authority, comply with formalities, deal with witnesses appropriately, respond effectively to questions or opposing arguments, identify strengths and weaknesses from different parties’ perspectives.
- Negotiate solutions to clients’ issues including: identify all parties’ interests, objectives and limits, developing and formulating best options for meeting parties’ objectives, presenting options for compromises persuasively, responding to options presented by the other side, developing compromises between options or parties.
- Plan and manage legal cases and transactions including applying relevant processes and procedures to progress matters effectively, assessing, communicating and managing risk, bringing a transaction or case to a conclusion.
- Obtain relevant facts by effective questioning and active listening.
- Find, analyse, and assess documents to extract relevant information including recognising when additional information is needed , interpreting and evaluating information obtained, recording and presenting information accurately and clearly.
- Recognise when legal research is needed and use appropriate methods and resources including identifying, finding and assessing the relevance of sources of law, interpreting, evaluating and applying research results, recording and presenting findings of research accurately and clearly.
- Develop strategies and solutions including an understanding of a client’s commercial and personal circumstances, their needs, objectives, priorities and constraints.
- Provide advice which is informed by appropriate and factual legal analysis and identifying the consequences of different options.
- Draft documents from scratch and use precedents which address all legal and factual issues, complying with all formalities and using clear, accurate and succinct language.
- Undertake effective spoken and written advocacy in court and outside of formal court hearings including: effective preparation by identifying and mastering relevant facts and legal principles, organize facts to support an argument or position, present a reasoned argument in a clear, logical, succinct persuasive way, make appropriate references to legal authority, comply with formalities, deal with witnesses appropriately, respond effectively to questions or opposing arguments, identify strengths and weaknesses from different parties’ perspectives.
- Negotiate solutions to clients’ issues including: identify all parties’ interests, objectives and limits, developing and formulating best options for meeting parties’ objectives, presenting options for compromises persuasively, responding to options presented by the other side, developing compromises between options or parties.
- Plan and manage legal cases and transactions including applying relevant processes and procedures to progress matters effectively, assessing, communicating and managing risk, bringing a transaction or case to a conclusion.
Training schedule
- You will spend 4 days a week working at the firm under the supervision of qualified lawyers and 1 day studying towards formal legal qualifications online. Throughout the apprenticeship you will have the opportunity to spend time in several of our legal departments, which will provide you with the breadth and depth of experience needed to succeed as a qualified lawyer
- Our training provider is BPP University
- You will study for our Level 7 Solicitor Apprentice programme, where you will achieve a law degree as part of the path to qualification. The end point assessment of the solicitor apprenticeship is the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam, which all aspiring solicitors will have to take from 2021.
More training information
- BPP University is part of the BPP Group and is a distinct legal entity with its own degree-awarding powers. With a dedicated management team, it has a responsibility for upholding high standards of governance, educational provision, resourcing and quality assurance
- You will learn via live teaching and performance coaching, professional workshops and work-based projects
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
A Level in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Customer care skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
Other requirements
If you are successful in reaching the final selection stage, you will need to be able to commit to attending a work experience week from 17- 21 February 2025 at our Bristol office. As a firm, we are committed to providing an equal experience for all. Therefore, Travel, (if necessary) accommodation and other expenses would be covered for this.
About this employer
Burges Salmon is an ambitious, sustainable and inclusive firm that ensures its clients, people and wider communities flourish. We are headquartered in Bristol, however we also have offices in Edinburgh and London. Our vision is to be the market-leading independent UK law firm that provides the best proposition for its people and its clients. By focusing on the markets and areas of expertise where we have extensive knowledge and experience, we achieve the best outcomes for our clients, who range from large organisations, entrepreneurial businesses and public sector bodies, to individuals, families and their global wealth. We are trusted to help them with everything from their everyday legal needs to their business critical issues and all points in between. UK-wide: We have lawyers who are qualified to work in all three legal jurisdictions in the UK – England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. International: Across the world, we work with a select number of like-minded independent law firms – our Preferred Law Firm network.
https://www.burges-salmon.com (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Competitive Salary, Generous Annual Leave allowance, Pension, Life Assurance, Family-Friendly Benefits, Private medical insurance, Flexible Working, Employee Assistance Programme, Subsidised Sports Clubs and Memberships, On-site GP.
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
- Those with the ability and inclination to continue onto the Level 7 solicitor programme will achieve a law degree as part of the path to qualification. The end point assessment of the solicitor apprenticeship is the new Solicitors Qualifying Exam, which all aspiring solicitors will have to take from 2021
- You will then be a Newly Qualified Solicitor, and can apply for a role as a Solicitor in a legal area, either at Burges Salmon or elsewhere
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
BURGES SALMON LLP
Jess McGee
Jess.McGee@burges-salmon.com
07977669356
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000342704.
Apply now
Closes on Monday 10 November 2025
Sign in with your GOV.UK One Login to apply.
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.