Solicitor apprenticeships on the horizon in Scotland?

Rob Marrs, head of education at the Law Society of Scotland, said that consultation responses on the new means of qualification made it “clear that the profession wanted to go down that route”.

He said: “We are speaking to Skills Development Scotland about how we can do that, and we are considering whether it should be a modern apprenticeship or a graduate apprenticeship scheme.

“At the moment, we are leaning towards a graduate apprenticeship scheme that would work as any other apprenticeship works. There would be a number of years of experience—probably around five or six—and a series of examinations and assessments would take place during the course.

“There has not been much more consideration than that, but we have real sector buy-in to take it forward. Indeed, some of the universities have said that they could play a part in the external assessment and academic studies, which are an important part of an apprenticeship.”

But Mr Marrs added that the introduction of apprenticeships would lead to a “difficult conversation with law students” as the scheme could lead to fewer traineeships.

He said: “We will need to have that difficult conversation with the LLB and diploma cohorts in due course. However, that is not a reason not to do it; it is just something that we have to be aware of.”

Julie Brannan, director of education and training at the Solicitors Regulation Authority in England and Wales, discussed the solicitor apprenticeship, one of a suite of legal apprenticeships offered there.

She told the round table that firms offering apprenticeships were “really evangelical about it”. 

“They say that it enables them to form apprentices in the competences and skills that they need for their particular businesses. Those apprentices also become very loyal to their firms and the model enables firms to hang on to talent in a way that they like,” Ms Brannan said.

She also cited evidence supporting Mr Marrs’ prediction that apprenticeships would lead to fewer traineeships.

“I was recently on a panel with people from Womble Bond Dickinson, which is one of the firms that practises south of the border, and it said that it had cut its formal training contract places by 20 per cent to make space for people coming in by alternative means,” she said.