Dentons Milton Keynes Solicitor Apprenticeship

Summary

As a Dentons apprentice, you’ll embark on a unique journey at the world's largest global law firm. Over six years, you’ll gain your LLB university degree and complete your SQEs alongside your day job at our full service commercial law firm. It’s an opportunity to learn, grow and earn simultaneously. Your journey to becoming a solicitor starts here.

Annual wage

£25,800 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Starting salary: £25,800 (MK). Starting work bonus: £1,500. Salary increases annually. Gym membership allowance. Health insurance. 24 annual leave days. Pension scheme. Cycle to work scheme. Access to well-being resources. Restaurant discounts.

Training course

Solicitor (level 7)

Hours

This is a full time role. Four days a week plus one day dedicated to your studies (Monday). Your hours of work will be 9:30am to 5:30pm.

35 hours a week

Possible start date

Monday 1 September

Duration

6 years

Positions available

1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

THE WORK

As an Apprentice at Dentons, you’ll dive headfirst into the world of law. Four days a week, you’ll be in the office, where your journey will span six exciting years. During this time, you’ll explore eight different practice areas or departments. This allows you to hone a wide range of skills and discover your passion within the legal field.

Here’s what to expect:

You’ll spend six months to a year in each practice area, gaining invaluable insights and experience. In each department, you’ll have a dedicated supervisor to guide and mentor you.

From day one, you won’t be a passive observer. You’ll be a key member of your team, contributing to real projects and making an impact. As the years pass, you’ll undertake increasing responsibilities
Throughout the programme, you’ll build a portfolio of skills. These skills will not only contribute to your degree but will also play a crucial role in qualifying as a solicitor

SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT

Each practice area will provide you with a dedicated supervisor to guide your professional growth
You will have a cohort mentor within Dentons to help support you beyond your practice area with information on opportunities and further guidance
A strong peer network within the firm. We have one of the largest Solicitor Apprenticeship cohorts in the UK legal market, as well as Trainees across all our UK offices.
Access to Early Careers Talent Development Advisors to assist with your career development
A personal tutor at BPP University to support your academic progress and well-being
A BPP student manager will be your go-to resource for any questions or challenges you encounter

Where you’ll work

The Pinnacle

170 Midsummer Blvd

Milton Keynes

MK9 1FE

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

BPP UNIVERSITY LIMITED

Your training course

Solicitor (level 7)

Equal to master’s degree

Course contents

Obtain relevant facts by effective questioning and active listening.
Find, analyse, and assess documents to extract relevant information including recognising when additional information is needed , interpreting and evaluating information obtained, recording and presenting information accurately and clearly.
Recognise when legal research is needed and use appropriate methods and resources including identifying, finding and assessing the relevance of sources of law, interpreting, evaluating and applying research results, recording and presenting findings of research accurately and clearly.
Develop strategies and solutions including an understanding of a client’s commercial and personal circumstances, their needs, objectives, priorities and constraints.
Provide advice which is informed by appropriate and factual legal analysis and identifying the consequences of different options.
Draft documents from scratch and use precedents which address all legal and factual issues, complying with all formalities and using clear, accurate and succinct language.
Undertake effective spoken and written advocacy in court and outside of formal court hearings including: effective preparation by identifying and mastering relevant facts and legal principles, organize facts to support an argument or position, present a reasoned argument in a clear, logical, succinct persuasive way, make appropriate references to legal authority, comply with formalities, deal with witnesses appropriately, respond effectively to questions or opposing arguments, identify strengths and weaknesses from different parties’ perspectives.
Negotiate solutions to clients’ issues including: identify all parties’ interests, objectives and limits, developing and formulating best options for meeting parties’ objectives, presenting options for compromises persuasively, responding to options presented by the other side, developing compromises between options or parties.
Plan and manage legal cases and transactions including applying relevant processes and procedures to progress matters effectively, assessing, communicating and managing risk, bringing a transaction or case to a conclusion.
Obtain relevant facts by effective questioning and active listening.
Find, analyse, and assess documents to extract relevant information including recognising when additional information is needed , interpreting and evaluating information obtained, recording and presenting information accurately and clearly.
Recognise when legal research is needed and use appropriate methods and resources including identifying, finding and assessing the relevance of sources of law, interpreting, evaluating and applying research results, recording and presenting findings of research accurately and clearly.
Develop strategies and solutions including an understanding of a client’s commercial and personal circumstances, their needs, objectives, priorities and constraints.
Provide advice which is informed by appropriate and factual legal analysis and identifying the consequences of different options.
Draft documents from scratch and use precedents which address all legal and factual issues, complying with all formalities and using clear, accurate and succinct language.
Undertake effective spoken and written advocacy in court and outside of formal court hearings including: effective preparation by identifying and mastering relevant facts and legal principles, organize facts to support an argument or position, present a reasoned argument in a clear, logical, succinct persuasive way, make appropriate references to legal authority, comply with formalities, deal with witnesses appropriately, respond effectively to questions or opposing arguments, identify strengths and weaknesses from different parties’ perspectives.
Negotiate solutions to clients’ issues including: identify all parties’ interests, objectives and limits, developing and formulating best options for meeting parties’ objectives, presenting options for compromises persuasively, responding to options presented by the other side, developing compromises between options or parties.
Plan and manage legal cases and transactions including applying relevant processes and procedures to progress matters effectively, assessing, communicating and managing risk, bringing a transaction or case to a conclusion.

Your training plan

THE STUDY

You’ll spend one day a week (usually Mondays) studying with BPP University. You’ll take part in workshops and seminars and complete various assessments across the six years, all working towards completing your Law degree.

BPP make studying as accessible as possible, providing a large amount of the course as e-learning.

You can read the full curriculum on the BPP Website.

In your final year, you will complete the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQEs).

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

or equivalent English (grade Grade B/6 or above)
or equivalent Maths (grade Grade B/6 or above)
Any (grade Grade ABB or equivalent)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Problem solving skills
Administrative skills
Analytical skills
Logical
Team working
Initiative
Global Outlook
Ambition
Commercial Awareness
Innovation
Enthusiasm
Resilience

About this company

The world’s largest global law firm. That’s 12,500+ lawyers working across 200+ locations in over 80 countries. Over 600 of us work in the UK. That’s just the numbers though, each one of us brings something unique to the table and you could too. With size comes diversity, and that’s one strength we’ll always play to. So if you’re an individual with talents, perspective and experience of your own, we’d love to hear from you. After all, it’s building a rich culture of challengers that allows us to say… WE ARE THE FUTURE OF LAW.

https://challengers.dentons.com/uk-apprentices/the-programme/how-it-works/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

The Solicitor Apprenticeship programme is a six-year programme to qualification as a Solicitor in England & Wales.

We are pioneers in this space as one of the first firms to introduce a Solicitor Apprenticeship in 2017, and we have proudly seen two cohorts of Solicitor Apprentices qualify through the route since 2023.

At Dentons, we are committed to ensuring parity across all routes to qualification within the firm. At the end of our Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme, participants are encouraged to apply for Associate (Qualified Solicitor) roles across a range of our practice areas. This reflects our belief in the equal opportunity of our talent, regardless of their route into the profession and recognising the need to enhance social mobility.

This is just the beginning of what we hope will be an exceptional career.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

DENTONS UKMEA LEGAL SERVICES

Dentons Early Careers Team

earlycareers@dentons.com

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000286844.

Apply now

Closes on Friday 20 December

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

Company’s application instructions

Recruitment Process: Online Application Form Legal High Potential Assessment Video Interview Insight Day Assessment Centre We have information and guidance on each of the stages in more detail on our website.

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