First Hill Dickinson apprentices qualify through school leaver apprenticeship programme

International law firm Hill Dickinson is celebrating the success of its legal apprenticeship programme as the first of the firm’s annual intake of apprentices qualify as solicitors.

The qualification, after eight years of study, of two individuals who joined the firm straight from school marks a significant shift within the legal landscape to widen access routes into the law and create a broader and more diverse workforce.

Newly qualified solicitors Emily Barnes and Holly Richardson are the first lawyers to qualify at Hill Dickinson via the apprenticeship route rather than coming into the law post-university, which was always the accepted entry point.

Instead, they were recruited into the firm as paralegal apprentices in 2015, straight from school, completing a two-year paralegal apprenticeship before progressing to a six-year solicitor apprenticeship. 

Both women successfully concluded their formal apprenticeship studies in August, having passed all stages of their qualifying examinations, and in September their names were formally added to the ‘roll of solicitors’, giving them the recognition and right to use the title of solicitor.

Commenting on their significant achievement, Hill Dickinson’s director of human resources Carolyn Morgan said: “We are absolutely delighted to see the first of our apprentices successfully come through the programme and qualify as solicitors via the SQE, the new, four-stage route to becoming a solicitor that was introduced in 2021.

“Emily and Holly are the flag bearers for a new wave of talent coming into the legal profession via non-traditional routes. After eight long years of combining on-the-job training with formal study, they are proof that, as well as university graduates, there’s also huge potential to harness untapped talent through apprenticeships and other alternative routes when identifying future lawyers.” 

Emily Barnes, who completed her apprenticeship as part of the firm’s Commercial Employment team, will remain within Commercial Employment, based in Manchester.

Holly Richardson, a Real Estate team apprentice, also based in Manchester, will now practise as a solicitor and continue to develop her career in real estate.

Hill Dickinson currently has almost 50 apprentices in the business, 17 of whom were recruited straight from school and are expected to qualify over the next few years in the same way as Emily and Holly.