Manchester law firms to offer 100 apprenticeships

NINE Manchester law firms have teamed up with the city’s Chamber of Commerce to offer around 100 paralegal apprenticeships.

The firms have secured cash from an £8.5m chamber fund set up to support skills training that will create jobs and drive economic growth.

The participating firms are Pannone, Slater Heelis, Chafes, Colemans-ctts, Hill Dickinson, Horwich Farrelly, Stephensons, SAS Daniels and Weightmans.  

The chamber’s Legal Sector Employer Skills Group, chaired by Pannone’s managing partner Emma Holt, hopes to create a career path for school leavers keen to enter the profession.

Its intention is for the paralegals – who are legally trained but have not qualified as solicitors or barristers – to deliver “high-quality, cost effective legal services”. The first apprentices are expected to start in September.

Ms Holt said: “The reality of the modern legal world is that, whilst there will always be highly skilled solicitors and partners within legal practice, law firms are employing more paralegals and this is an opportunity for students who might not otherwise consider the law as an option.  

“There are many law graduates unable to secure training contracts and this is creating a situation where students are incurring significant tuition fees with more limited prospects of securing a position as a trainee solicitor. Under the scheme students will join a firm and spend time practically learning the skills required to be a paralegal whilst also undertaking a course leading to a paralegal qualification. This will be funded by monies being made available to meet skills gaps.”