Administrative Assistant Apprentice (Clark Willis)
CLARK WILLIS SOLICITORS LTD
Darlington (DL3 7LB)
Closes in 29 days (Friday 25 September 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 27 August 2026
Contents
Summary
Join Clark Willis Solicitors and gain valuable experience in a busy legal practice. You'll support day-to-day office operations, assist with client enquiries, manage documents and records, and develop essential administration skills while working towards a recognised apprenticeship qualification.
- Wage
-
£15,392 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Administration assistant (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Sunday 1 November 2026
- Duration
-
1 year
- Positions available
-
1
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
The Administrative Assistant Apprentice will support the day-to-day administration and client service functions of Clark Willis Solicitors, helping to deliver an efficient, professional, and client-focused legal service. Working as part of a busy legal practice, the apprentice will assist solicitors and support staff with administrative tasks, client communications, and office processes while developing key business administration and customer service skills within a professional legal environment.
The role will involve handling confidential information, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring clients receive a positive experience when accessing the firm's services.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
- Welcome clients and visitors in a friendly, professional, and courteous manner
- Answer telephone calls and respond to enquiries, directing them to the appropriate member of staff
- Assist with booking appointments and managing meeting room schedules
- Support the preparation, scanning, filing, and archiving of legal documents and correspondence
- Maintain accurate electronic and paper-based client records
- Manage incoming and outgoing post, emails, and document distribution
- Assist solicitors and legal support staff with routine administrative duties
- Ensure confidential client information is handled in accordance with GDPR and firm procedures
- Support the opening, updating, and closing of client files
- Carry out data entry and document management tasks using legal case management systems
- Assist with producing legal documents, letters, and reports from templates
- Work collaboratively with colleagues to support the smooth running of the office
- Provide excellent customer service to clients and professional contacts
Skills & Experience Gained
- Legal administration and office support experience
- Professional customer service and client care skills
- Use of legal and business administration IT systems
- Understanding of confidentiality, GDPR, and data protection requirements
- Business communication skills, including telephone, email, and written correspondence
- Document management and record-keeping processes
- Organisation, prioritisation, and time management skills
- Experience working within a professional legal services environment
- Understanding of legal office procedures and client service standards
Ideal Candidate
This role is suited to someone who is:
- Friendly, professional, and approachable
- Reliable and eager to learn
- Organised with good attention to detail
- Able to manage multiple tasks and priorities
- Confident communicating with a wide range of people
- Comfortable using computers and Microsoft Office applications
- Able to work effectively as part of a team
- Respectful of confidential and sensitive informatiomn
- Keen to develop a career in administration or the legal sector
- Motivated, positive, and willing to take responsibility for their own development
This apprenticeship provides an excellent opportunity to gain valuable administration experience within a respected legal practice while working towards a nationally recognised qualification and developing skills that can support a long-term career in the legal and professional services sector
Where you'll work
105
Bondgate
Darlington
DL3 7LB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
DARLINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL
Training course
Administration assistant (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Receive, retrieve, process, record and store information and data.
- Operate within organisational policies, standards and procedures and relevant legislation respecting confidentiality; adapting to operational changes as they occur.
- Use software packages and tools for example AI or automation to input and process data and information, to contribute to routine administration tasks in line with organisational policies and procedures.
- Handle and communicate information in line with organisational policies, procedures and security requirements.
- Recognise and rectify issues and escalate as required. For example stakeholder documents and reports, safeguarding concerns or abusive behaviour.
- Plan and review administration tasks allocated by supervisor.
- Maintain professional relationships with stakeholders.
- Monitor and report on the use of resources such as materials, equipment and supplies.
- Use agreed organisational systems and protocols to manage calendars, diaries and booking systems.
- Source information as requested by stakeholders, ensuring they are shareable. As examples client records, signpost to services or reports.
- Use continuing professional development including self-reflection to support current and future training and development needs.
- Use communication tools to respond to stakeholders using professional language and organisational etiquette.
- Operate within agreed health and safety standards.
- Use time management tools to meet deadlines.
- Handle feedback following expected professional etiquette.
- Maintain wellbeing, accessing organisational support mechanisms if required.
- Review and check own work.
- Use cloud services to share documents for use and or collaboration.
- Protect against security threats for example, strong passwords, two step verification, office tailgating and display of security passes or clothing that identifies secure workplaces.
- Seek clarification and help, when required, to complete assigned tasks within agreed timeframes.
- Receive, retrieve, process, record and store information and data.
- Operate within organisational policies, standards and procedures and relevant legislation respecting confidentiality; adapting to operational changes as they occur.
- Use software packages and tools for example AI or automation to input and process data and information, to contribute to routine administration tasks in line with organisational policies and procedures.
- Handle and communicate information in line with organisational policies, procedures and security requirements.
- Recognise and rectify issues and escalate as required. For example stakeholder documents and reports, safeguarding concerns or abusive behaviour.
- Plan and review administration tasks allocated by supervisor.
- Maintain professional relationships with stakeholders.
- Monitor and report on the use of resources such as materials, equipment and supplies.
- Use agreed organisational systems and protocols to manage calendars, diaries and booking systems.
- Source information as requested by stakeholders, ensuring they are shareable. As examples client records, signpost to services or reports.
- Use continuing professional development including self-reflection to support current and future training and development needs.
- Use communication tools to respond to stakeholders using professional language and organisational etiquette.
- Operate within agreed health and safety standards.
- Use time management tools to meet deadlines.
- Handle feedback following expected professional etiquette.
- Maintain wellbeing, accessing organisational support mechanisms if required.
- Review and check own work.
- Use cloud services to share documents for use and or collaboration.
- Protect against security threats for example, strong passwords, two step verification, office tailgating and display of security passes or clothing that identifies secure workplaces.
- Seek clarification and help, when required, to complete assigned tasks within agreed timeframes.
Training schedule
You will be completing the Level 2 Administration Assistant Apprenticeship Standard with Darlington Borough Council Learning & Skills, Darlington.
The Administration Apprenticeship is designed to equip participants with the fundamentals required to work in any business environment. The programme can be delivered using a blend of on-line, anytime learning and expert-led classroom training covering core topics.
Throughout this Apprenticeship, participants will be supported by tutors who have worked in a business environment and have gained many years of experience and who can truly support you to develop the skills and knowledge required to work in a wide range of administrative roles. This will also provide a potential progression route onto the Business Administrator L3 Apprenticeship.
More training information
Training will be provided to achieve the following qualifications:
Level 2 Administration Apprenticeship Standard
Training will take place weekly, on a day release basis, at Darlington Borough Council L&S Skills Centre (DL1 1NG). Here you will develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to ensure these exceed the minimum requirements for the Administration Assistant Level 2 apprenticeship standards.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4+/ C+)
- maths (grade 4+/ C+)
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
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Administrative skills
- Team working
Other requirements
- You will be required to attend our training centre in Darlington (DL1 1NG) and you will need to make your own way there for day release training
- Travel to and from the employer, based at 105 Bondgate, Darlington (DL3 7LB)
- May need to cover at the Northallerton office
About this employer
Our mission is to offer affordable yet premium legal services to individuals and their families who want access to excellent legal advice locally and who appreciate the value and the experience they will enjoy from using Clark Willis.
We call this ‘affordable premium‘, and it informs how we provide our legal services, how we interact with our clients, our workspaces and how we develop our team.
We are a growing team of highly respected solicitors committed to making legal services simple to understand and accessible with clear advice and transparent costs making us the smart choice.
We are small enough to ensure that you can benefit personally from our one-to-one service on everyday matters but also experienced enough to deal with more complex and demanding areas.
Although we offer legal services you are really buying our expertise and not only is our firm Lexcel accredited, the Law Society’s Quality Mark, our individual solicitors are also specialists within their respective areas and hold a range of personal accreditations.
We have been quietly and confidently providing legal services locally, regionally and nationally for over fifty years from our offices in Darlington and Northallerton.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Successful completion may lead to a full-time employment and/ or opportunity to join the Business Administrator L3 Apprenticeship Standard.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
DARLINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL
Graham Curry
graham.curry@Darlington.gov.uk
07949845325
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000050285.
Apply now
Closes in 29 days (Friday 25 September 2026 at 11:59pm)