Bird & Bird

Paving a new way to qualification. You can qualify as a solicitor by undertaking on-the-job training while studying for a law degree and the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) over six years.

Our Solicitor Apprenticeship is a Level 7 qualification combining study with work to allow you to qualify as a solicitor without incurring student debt often associated with attending university. You'll learn on-the-job at our London office, alongside a small cohort of solicitor apprentices, while studying for one day a week at the University of Law to obtain an LLB Law degree and complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE). At the end of the apprenticeship, you'll be a qualified solicitor.

Developing your legal knowledge

Study towards an LLB Law degree and work towards the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) at The University of Law alongside working on cutting edge legal work. The LLB is designed to prepare you for the academic challenges of the SQE examinations, as well as the fundamental skills, technical excellence, and commercial awareness required for your role as a solicitor at Bird & Bird.

Course Structure:

Years 1 to 4 – LLB Studies

Year 5 – SQE1 Preparation 

Year 6 – SQE2 Preparation

All tuition fees and course materials are covered by the firm. You will study one day a week and work four days a week.

Training beyond your expectations

Put into practice the legal knowledge and skills you're learning at university by working in our London office four-days a week. Build your knowledge of the law and find the area you wish to qualify into by working for stimulating clients across a range of sectors with our experts in the legal field.

From Years 1 to 4, you'll rotate once a year across four different departments, known as 'seats', giving you a rich learning experience and development opportunities. We have eight departments: Corporate, Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Finance & Financial Regulation, Intellectual Property, Real Estate, and Tax. Within our departments, we have sector and sub-sector specialisms, which you’ll experience in each seat. 

You may also experience a client secondment to further your experience and develop your commercial edge by understanding their business from the inside.

Qualifications

Prior to admission to the Roll of Solicitors, all aspiring solicitors qualifying through the Solicitors Qualifying Examinations (SQE) route must:

• have a UK awarded degree or equivalent Level 6 qualification;

• pass both stages of the SQE assessment (SQE1 and SQE2);

• undertake two years’ full time (or equivalent) Qualifying Work Experience (QWE); and

• pass the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) character and suitability requirements. 

Upon successfully completing the apprenticeship, which is a Level 7 qualification including on-the-job training, an LLB Law degree and passing the SQE assessments, you'll have met these requirements and will be able to apply for admission to the Roll of Solicitors to become a qualified solicitor in England and Wales. 

At the end of your apprenticeship, you'll qualify as a solicitor and each year we hope to retain most of our apprentices in newly qualified (NQ) roles across the firm.

Applying to us

We operate rolling recruitment, which means we screen applications as they are received, rather than after our deadline. We encourage you to apply as early as possible. 

Entry requirements

You can apply if you can commence the apprenticeship in September 2026. At the time of submitting your application, you should be: 

• in your final year of A-Levels (Year 13) or have already completed school or college (e.g. on a gap year or working). 

• at least 18 years of age at the start date of the apprenticeship

• and have the right to work in the UK. 

You should also have, or expect to have, 5 GCSEs including English and Maths at grade 9-4/A*-C and 3 A-Levels at AAB (or equivalent). We understand you may not have received the grade you hoped for due to extenuating or mitigating circumstances. Please detail any relevant information in your application for us to take into consideration. We also use a Contextual Recruitment System (CRS) to enable us to recruit people from different backgrounds and help us understand your achievements in the context in which they were gained. 

Recruitment process

Stage 1 - Online application form
Stage 2 - Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking test
Stage 3 - Pre-recorded video interview
Stage 4 - In-person assessment centre at our London office