Sarah Donoghue
Early Careers
Manager
Broadening access to law through apprenticeships
Social: Our people
Fieldfisher was one of the first UK firms to launch a solicitor apprenticeship scheme six years ago and we are proud to have seen our first cohort qualify in 2023.
The firm currently has 26 solicitor apprentices across practice groups and offices. The programme offers an accessible entry point into law, enabling groups historically underrepresented in the legal sector to pursue a legal career. These include people who have experienced socioeconomic barriers, people from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, and neurodivergent people, among others.
We are already seeing the impact of our inclusive recruitment, with 35% of our current trainee cohort and 44% of our future cohort joining from one of our schemes. Our application process concentrates on an applicant's raw talent as opposed to their academic grades. This strength-based recruitment strategy allows candidates to be more authentic throughout the process, demonstrating their skills and passion for a career in law.
In sixth form everyone was being encouraged to go to uni, but I just knew I didn't want to jump straight into that. I found out about the solicitor apprentice programme, and for me it's the perfect fit.
Samuel Jeremiah
Solicitor Apprentice in the Real Estate team in London
Following the success of the Solicitor Apprentice programme in diversifying the intake of talent and providing greater equality of opportunity to bright people, it seemed logical that the model could extend to non-fee earning roles.
We introduced non-legal apprenticeships in 2022. The Apprenticeship Career Excellence (ACE) Programme, is a formalised training and qualification scheme focusing exclusively on
business services.
We currently have 19 ACE apprentices working in a range of business services teams including HR, Marketing and IT.
All the apprentices are studying for professional qualifications funded by the firm which will set them up for long-term careers in business services roles or wider careers. We want to do all we can to give people from all walks of life a chance to make a success of their careers.
Opting for the ACE Apprenticeship Programme was definitely the right career decision for me. I tried uni but realised I was going just for the sake of it, and that there's more than one path for people to follow.
Benita Angorit
ACE Apprentice in the Marketing team in London
Our Solicitor Apprenticeship Scheme
Ellie Williamson
Recruitment
Manager
Our ACE Apprenticeship Programme
Fieldfisher
ESG Report 2023
36