This year, National Apprenticeship Week has been running from 10-16 February.
The week aims to raise awareness of the many benefits apprenticeships can offer people, and it highlights the valuable role apprenticeships play in shaping local workforces and the opportunities they bring for both young people and adults.
During the week, businesses and apprentices across the UK shine a light on the positive impact being made by workplace apprenticeships.
We have been speaking to some of our apprentices here at the firm to hear more about their stories, in terms of what made them choose this route, how they are finding it, and what their future hopes and aspirations look like...
Emily Graham
Emily Graham is based in Freeths’ Nottingham office, where she currently sits on the Trusts, Estates and Tax team.
As her time at sixth form drew to a close, she felt as though the legal market was a competitive industry to get into and said she “felt like one of thousands competing for the same goal”. For this reason, she decided to try and get some practical experience through an apprenticeship role, which she hoped would put her at an advantage when compared to her peers. Emily was also drawn to the apprenticeship route because it allowed her to qualify as a solicitor without accumulating any student debt.
When thinking about her options, Emily felt that the apprenticeship route aligned much better with her learning style, as it focuses on the practical application of knowledge in day-to-day practice.
Emily took a year out to travel Australia before returning to the UK to begin apprenticeship applications. She then started with Freeths as a Legal Apprentice in 2019. During this time, she completed her Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship. In September 2021, she accepted the role of Solicitor Apprentice and is now in her fourth year of training.
When asked about her future hopes, Emily said she would like to stay at Freeths and progress into an NQ role, advancing within the firm. She would be amongst some of the first solicitor apprentices to qualify at Freeths and is keen to actively promote the solicitor apprenticeship programme both internally and externally.
Emily’s advice to aspiring Solicitor Apprentices is to show your resilience. Her apprenticeship so far has been a challenging journey of working and studying simultaneously but has been incredibly rewarding.
She encourages taking full advantage of every opportunity to gain experience. The apprenticeship places a strong emphasis on developing essential skills, and “every bit of experience is valuable”.
Abigail Shaw
Abigail Shaw started looking for work when she was just 14 years old. After struggling to find a job for quite some time, she pivoted her direction in looking for practical learning experiences after finishing her A-levels when she was 18.
On A-level results day, Abigail received fantastic grades and went to her career advisor to explain she had chosen to go down the apprenticeship route. Her career advisor seemed confused about her decision, and even questioned Abigail and asked if she was sure she was doing the right thing. Abigail said she felt “taken back” by this, but was sure of her decision and knew it was the right choice for her.
It was this which led her to discovering Freeths and the firm’s trainee legal apprenticeship roles, which she eagerly and successfully applied for. Abigail joined Freeths as a Trainee Legal Secretary Apprentice which she did for two years, before accepting a Solicitor Apprenticeship role last year.
Fast forward four years, Abigail now works in Freeths’ newly renovated Leeds office, as part of the Restructuring and Insolvency team.
In the future, Abigail hopes to finish her apprenticeship and qualify as a solicitor and continue to develop her knowledge and skills in the legal field.
Abigail encourages prospective apprentices to remember that it can be a quite challenging journey, when you have to study and work at the same time. However, she says as long as you remain dedicated to the learning process, you will grow as a person along the way, such as improving your confidence and gaining essential work skills.
She confessed, “I don’t think I would’ve grown so much as a person if I had followed the traditional route of university, as the apprenticeship route has helped me understand the world of work and has allowed me to gain valuable experience”.
Annie Capstick
Oxford-based Annie Capstick has always been a self-confessed practical learner. Therefore, after deciding she wanted to go down the apprenticeship route, she was looking forward to being able to learn new skills and content and implement it in practice the following day.
She described the process of being able to build and nurture key client and colleague relationships “an added bonus” to the scheme.
However, whilst still at school, Annie felt the pressure from teachers and peers to gain further qualifications through the “traditional” university route.
Regardless of this, rather than joining the masses, she persevered and made the choice to apply for Freeths’ apprenticeship programme.
This made Annie rise to the challenge, as she liked the idea of applying for a role in a competitive market, with or without support from her school. She enjoyed being able to express herself during the interview processes, but said at times it was “hard to know” if she was doing well.
Now a valued member of the Trusts, Estates and Tax team, she is keen to progress at Freeths, with hopes to eventually become a Partner at the firm. Annie also hopes to still love her job just as much as she does now, despite being unsure which team she will qualify into.
Annie’s advice to anyone who is thinking about applying for an apprenticeship role, is to remember that opportunities do not come to those who wait. She also says it is important to work hard, not only academically, but in making sure you have other outstanding attributes within your personal life, such as charity work, employment experience and passion.
Anna Raaff
Anna Raaff is based in Leicester and part of the Commercial Real Estate team at Freeths.
Since completing her GCSEs, Anna knew she wanted to have a career in law. She first heard about degree apprenticeships during her time at sixth form and immediately, she knew it was something she wanted to pursue. A talk held at her school was the first introduction to leading law firm Freeths.
Anna keen to gain some experience whilst studying and was also hoping to avoid accruing hefty student debt but she felt uneasy about the uncertainty of training contracts.
Therefore, after talking with the team and considering her options, she decided to both apply for the apprenticeship role at Freeths and a place at university all the while continuing to study her A-levels. Despite being prepared for the university route, once Freeths had made Anna an offer, she knew this was the right route for her.
Anna says that finishing her apprenticeship “still feels like a long way off at the moment”, but she is looking forward to qualifying as a solicitor.
She also says that the most important thing anyone considering going down the apprenticeship route should consider, is to “take the opportunities that are available, even if they seem insignificant”. She says this is because the knowledge you gain from talking to others who have experience in the legal field, or through attending networking events, is invaluable.
Raeesah Akhtar
Raeesah Akhtar thoroughly enjoyed academic studies at school, but the prospect of gaining hands on experience for her future career was what attracted her to the apprenticeship route.
At the start of her time at sixth form, Raeesah was headstrong about going to university and she spent some time submitting a UCAS application. In the end, she declined her offer and chose to embark on the apprenticeship route.
She felt as though an apprenticeship would boost her employability, and she also didn’t find the job market particularly attractive for younger people. Ahead of starting her apprenticeship, she was excited to build her network and connections to develop both her personal and professional growth.
However, she found the application process for apprenticeship roles much more challenging than her university applications and described the process as “more rigorous when compared to drafting a personal statement”. She said a typical apprenticeship application asked between one and five questions, which she spent time perfecting.
It initially seemed daunting with the process comprising of situational judgement tests, virtual interviews, in person interviews and assessment centres, but, in the end, the process was very rewarding.
She is now based in Freeths Milton Keynes office and is part of the region’s Real Estate team.
The last two years of Raeesah’s apprenticeship are her ‘training contact’ years, and she hopes that once these are complete, she will know what area of law she’d like to pursue long term. She is looking forward to becoming a qualified lawyer and continuing her career at Freeths.
Raeesah highly recommends the apprenticeship programme to prospective apprentices and hopes to offer support to people who wish to take a similar route to the one she chose.
She says her advice to those considering the apprenticeship route is always ask questions and do your research. She points out that going down the apprenticeship route has its uncertainties, and the only way to navigate this is by asking questions – by connecting with people on LinkedIn, and asking questions to those in the industry. Or equally, target people in many different industries to work out what sort of area in employment best suits you.
Lily-Belle King
Lily-Belle was initially drawn to the apprenticeship route because it offered the opportunity to become a solicitor debt-free, whilst gaining six years of industry experience.
Now working in our Nottingham office, Lily-Belle King currently works as part of the Trusts, Estates and Tax team.
Whilst starting of her career, she applied to a number of different solicitor apprenticeship schemes but was, unfortunately, unsuccessful. She described feeling largely “disheartened” after facing numerous rejections, so for this reason, she began considering the idea of going to university but wasn’t 100% sold on the idea. However, whilst she was weighing up her options, she received an offer from Freeths.
Lily-Belle described the application process as “challenging”, as the process varies depending on the firm. She was also trying to balance her applications alongside her A-levels, which was demanding at times. Therefore, when Freeths accepted her application, the relief was incredibly welcome.
As part of her future ambitions, she is keen to gain wider experience across different sectors in the firm to find an area of law she would like to focus on long term. Lily-Belle says she is currently leaning towards Private Client work but is still open to new ideas.
Jawad Choudhary
Jawad thought the prospect of getting straight into work sounded daunting at first, but it was appealing to him, nonetheless due to the invaluable skills he felt like he would gain from “learning on the job”.
Despite an apprenticeship never being part of his original plan, Jawad says he definitely made the right decision, and he has no regrets about the path he has chosen.
He became aware of the solicitor apprenticeship route whilst researching his university options, and says the more he learnt about it, the more appealing it started to sound.
During his studies, Jawad always made a conscious effort to sign up to work experience opportunities through platforms such as Young Professionals. One day, he received an email about a solicitor apprenticeship scheme. Although he didn’t know much about it at the time, he thought it sounded really exciting, and it was from here on that he began looking at this route for his career.
His goal for the future is to quality as a solicitor and build a strong, reliable reputation within the industry. Jawad thinks the six years of hands-on experience will hopefully allow him to transition into his career with confidence, having already gained a deeper understanding of the working environment. He also jokes that “avoiding university debt whilst earning a salary has been a huge advantage”.
Jawad’s advice for aspiring solicitor apprentices is “to be yourself”. He says it is key to have a real interest in the working world, and that you should take the time to understand the culture and the people around you.
He reminds people that opportunities for apprenticeship roles are out there, and encourages people to proactively subscribe to updates, attend events and network, to put yourself in a stronger position.
If you're interested in an apprenticeship at Freeths, please head to our Legal Apprentices page to find out more!
The content of this page is a summary of the law in force at the date of publication and is not exhaustive, nor does it contain definitive advice. Specialist legal advice should be sought in relation to any queries that may arise.
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