Welcoming our First Ever Solicitor Apprentices

We are delighted to have welcomed our first-ever cohort of solicitor apprentices, who have now embarked on a six-year journey to becoming qualified lawyers.

Joining the firm are Jess Sutton in construction, Amy Pressley in social housing and Isabelle Richardson in residential development, all based in Birmingham. In Nottingham, Cadie Kearney and Paola Nlemchi have joined the commercial property team.

Designed to open up alternative routes into law, our solicitor apprenticeship programme enables aspiring lawyers to balance practical legal work with academic study.

Over the six-year course, apprentices spend four days each week working with colleagues on live matters for clients, rotating between practice groups to gain insight into the firm’s full range of services. One day each week is dedicated to studying towards an LLB (Hons) Law and Legal Practice and Solicitor Level 7 Apprenticeship, which is fully funded by the firm.

Victoria Tester, managing director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome our first-ever solicitor apprentices to the firm and we’re committed to ensuring they receive the very best start to their legal careers.

“They’re all extremely talented individuals and I have no doubt they’ll each be an asset to their teams. We firmly believe in investing in our people to ensure we have the skills and talent necessary to drive the firm’s future organic growth. I look forward to watching them grow and develop as lawyers in their time with us, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for them.”

We offer multiple routes to qualification, including traditional training contracts, SQE graduate apprenticeships, self-funded SQE pathways, CILEx options and solicitor apprenticeships. There is no minimum degree requirement for all routes – the firm assesses candidates based on their potential and suitability for the role, rather than solely on academic qualifications.

For further information about our training contract programme, please visit www.shma.co.uk/careers/early-careers.