Will legal apprenticeships become the norm?

Businesses and law schools must adapt to individual needs, explains Mandy Isles

Although an academic and senior lecturer in law, I have always considered myself a practical lawyer. I practised for a period
as a local government solicitor before entering academia, and now sit part-time as a deputy district judge, giving me an insight into both legal training and the wider legal sector.

As a lecturer, I encourage students to consider the practical application of the law to develop their understanding, whether they are Legal Practice Course (LPC) students or first-year
degree students grappling with the sometimes complex concepts of contract law. Our law school's strategy is to create early career professionals who can apply academic law to practical scenarios.

If vocational training and education as a pathway to a career in law is about basing teaching on real-life scenarios, then this is something we embrace by way of problem-based learning, and which students can apply to simulated real-life settings.

Another view of vocational-based training might be understood as students being placed within legal organisations during their studies for differing periods, undertaking internships or work experience.

Now, apprenticeships have become part of the legal education and training mix. Currently, legal apprenticeships are available at level 3, which is equivalent of high-end A-level, and level 4, which is first-year degree standard. Over the last 18 months, however, I have assessed students undertaking an advanced legal services apprenticeship (level 3), which we offer along with the more traditional routes to qualification.

Theory into practice

Our apprenticeship students, who are mainly aged 18 to 19, are employed full-time within the legal workplace, usually on
a two-year contract. They are assessed in the workplace as to competency in key areas of legal knowledge and skills in areas such as legal research and communicating with clients. Simultaneously, they undertake exams in a core subject area, such as contract law, and a practice subject, such as civil litigation. Such apprenticeships provide the students with
a number of fantastic opportunities: to earn while
they learn, to contextualise their studies with real-life experiences, and to put theory into practice. Apprentices also get their foot
in the door, which, for those wanting to practise given the scarcity of training contracts,
is a key benefit of the apprenticeship model.

This can have reciprocal benefits for firms. Employees are a valuable resource to the business, carrying out key functions while developing
and training. Apprentices will possess key skills and relevant legal knowledge, and while
they can be shaped to fit an organisation's business model and culture.

The apprenticeship scheme, although relatively new,
will develop and expand. Apprenticeships will soon be available at level 6 (final-year degree level) and level 7 (LPC level), providing alternative routes to qualification. This is
a welcome development and provides the opportunity for firms to grow talent internally from a young age. At present, however, the number of legal apprentices is comparatively small, and firms are able to select apprentices who already possess the key workplace
skills they require from their employees. Firms would need
to adapt and adjust to support growing numbers of 18 or 19-year-old apprentices in
their workplace.

Apprenticeships are not suitable for all those interested in studying law: what of those who may be more interested in
a career at the Bar, or who want
an academic qualification in
law to utilise elsewhere? Legal apprentices will start their career immediately within a specific area, but other students may
be unsure what career path
they want to follow, something familiar to me from when I started university. As with many students I teach, I had no clear idea of which area I wanted to practise in. The traditional route allows scope for exploration
of the varied branches of law.

As lecturers, we recognise
the different types of learners.
Legal apprentices balance near full-time work with study and this may not suit everyone. Opting for a degree may allow students to develop other key skills required for becoming good lawyers through pro
bono work, part-time jobs,
or travelling/working abroad.

However, others at
18 may benefit from the
structured path offered by legal apprenticeships, where they are immersed in a firm and pick up the academic knowledge from their complementary studies while earning along the way.

It will be a gradual evolution of culture as the nature of apprenticeships becomes more understood, accepted and apprenticeships exist alongside traditional legal career routes. Vocational-based pathways to law can and should be a broad church encompassing the more traditional routes of study and the work-based apprenticeship route. SJ

Mandy Isles is a senior lecturer in law at Manchester Metropolitan University Law School (MMU)

@ManMetUni