Apprenticeships in law: everything you need to know · Apprenticeships in law: everything you need...
Transcript of Apprenticeships in law: everything you need to know · Apprenticeships in law: everything you need...
Apprenticeships in law: everything
you need to know
Thursday 16 March 2017
Addleshaw Goddard, Manchester
Trailblazer Apprenticeship leading to qualification as a Solicitor
Julie BrannanDirector of Education and Training
Solicitors Regulation Authority
• Development of apprenticeship route to qualification is part of SRA’s Training for Tomorrow programme
• Core objective- uphold public confidence in the profession, both domestically and internationally:
consistent and rigorous standards
innovation and flexibility in solicitors’ training
promotion of a broad, diverse profession
• Statement of Solicitor Competence
• Assessment of competence through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), subject to consultation
Training for Tomorrow
• Describes the core activities all solicitors need to be able to do
• Divided into four domains:
Ethics, professionalism and judgment
Technical legal practice
Working with other people
Managing themselves and their work
• Key activities listed for each domain and critical factors which affect the individual’s ability to perform the activities competently
• The Apprenticeship Standard is the same as the SoSC
Statement of Solicitor Competence(SoSC)
• Employer-led; developed by group of law firms and other legal employers
• Level 7
• 5-6 years to complete
• Assessment plan is aligned to the SQE proposals.
• SRA will be the independent, end-point assessment organisation for the apprenticeship.
• Employers work with training providers to develop a training programme which will prepare apprentices for the assessment
Solicitor Apprenticeship
• Assessment plan for the solicitor apprenticeship:
On-programme formative work-based assessment against the SoSC by the employer or training provider
On-programme assessment of functioning legal knowledge through SQE stage 1
End-point assessment of practical legal skills through SQE stage 2
Solicitor Apprenticeship
• Apprenticeship route to qualification introduced within the November 2015 update of the SRA Handbook.
• First Trailblazer solicitor apprentices started September 2016.
• Second consultation on the new approach to qualification, including the SQE, closed in January 2017.
• Decision by SRA board on the SQE expected during spring/summer 2017.
• First live SQE assessments will be no earlier than academic year 2019.
Timeline
CILEx Presentation for Employers:
Paralegal and Chartered Legal
Executive Apprenticeships
through the Trailblazer
Introduction
Paralegal at Level 3
Chartered Legal Executive at Level 6
Basic structure of all Trailblazers:
Period of training
Separate end point assessment which is synoptic
End Point Assessor
CILEx has been approved as an end point
assessor for both the Paralegal and Chartered
Legal Executive apprenticeships
For the Chartered Legal Executive
apprenticeship, CILEx will be the only end point
assessor
For the Paralegal, although CILEx is currently the
only end point assessor, there may be others in
the future
Paralegal Apprenticeship
Generic occupational standard and assessment
plan
Paralegals can be trained in one of any number of
specialist legal areas of practice
Structure
Training:
Level 3 knowledge of specialist area of law and
practice
Level 3 skills: legal research and client care
Level 3 competence: covering the required
competencies for a paralegal identified in the standard
End point assessment
Portfolio
2 x timed assessments
Delivery
Training Delivered by a Training Provider selected by the
employer
Training Provider must be approved by the Skills Funding Agency
End Point Assessment Delivered by an Assessment Organisation, separate
from the Training Provider
Assessment Organisation selected by the Employer
Assessment Organisation must be approved by the Skills Funding Agency for the standard
Paralegal End Point
Assessments
It’s graded:
Pass
Distinction
Fail
Can cover a wide range of different areas of
practice
Off the shelf tests
CILEx will make available ‘off the shelf’ end point tests in: Civil Litigation
Personal Injury
Employment
Conveyancing
Private Client
Where the apprentice has covered a different area of practice, CILEx will approve a suitable end point test written by the Training Provider
Delivery of the End Point Tests
In either case, the test will be sat at the Training
Provider and then submitted to the Assessment
Organisation for marking, moderation,
standardisation and certification
More detailed information on the policies and
procedures for administration of the end point
tests is currently being considered by the
employer group and will be available shortly
Costs for the Paralegal End Point
Where the Employer uses an off the shelf test, the
cost will be £850
Where the Training Provider has written a test
approved by CILEx the cost will be:
£750 for the administration of the test and
£100 for each submission of a test for approval
Chartered Legal Executive
Mirrors the traditional route to qualification
Training:
Level 6 Knowledge, Client Care and Legal Research
skills + competence
The academic requirements are a pre-requisite for the
regulator and must be developed through either:CILEx examinations
LL.B + Graduate Fast Track Diploma or equivalent
End Point Assessment
Portfolio
Case study
Training is delivered by the Training Provider
The end point test will be delivered by CILEx
More about end point
assessment
NOT graded
Completed in a number of areas of legal practice
including:
Civil Litigation
Employment
Conveyancing
Probate
Criminal Litigation
Family Litigation
Costs
As part of the training
CILEx membership fee
Formative assessment costs for CILEx exams or exemptions
End point submission fee to include: Assessment
Quality Assurance
Certification
£1150
Legal Services Apprenticeshipshttps://www2.mmu.ac.uk/apprenticeships/
@MMULegalApps
The first legal services apprenticeships
• Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
• Employer Skills Group
• Apprenticeship Advisory Board
• Legal Apprentices Network [email protected]
Paralegal Apprenticeship
• Technical Legal Knowledge CILEx exams
• Work based assessment of practical skills
• Functional Skills in Maths, English and ICT
Solicitor Apprenticeship
• LLB Degree Award
• Exemption from CILEx Level 6 Qualification
• Route to qualification as a Solicitor
• Flexible study
• Applied in the workplace
What our apprentices say
“Being able to work and study is very appealing and I am able to get hands-on experience at work and study the required aspects of Law at University. I spend a fair amount of my time in court, so I'm out of the office on a regular basis. The rest of my time is spent drafting court documents, calling clients and putting together evidence statements. I am well supervised but I have quite a lot of responsibility, this has been a great opportunity for me.”
Emily Hemlin, undertook an AdvancedApprentice in Legal Services for Slater andGordon
“I was keen to learn, earn money and study at the same time and my great A Level results meant I had more options open to me. I thought about studying for an undergraduate degree in law, but working in conjunction with learning was a critical factor for me. Being financially stable and making connections from an early stage was appealing.’’
Junior Smith, undertook an Advanced Apprentice in Legal Services at Express Solicitors
Apprenticeships in law: everything
you need to know
Jaydene Hawkridge, HR Manager
Marissa Sanders, Graduate and Apprentice
Manager
Irwin Mitchell Apprenticeship
scheme
• Pre-levy
• Gap in the recruitment framework
• Personal experience
• Support in the business
Proposed Roles
Birmingham Employment
International Personal Injury
Serious Injury
Leeds Real Estate
London Serious Injury x 2
Sheffield Commercial Litigation
Low value PI
Motor
AG Apprenticeship Scheme
▶ 22 legal Apprentices since 2013
▶ Trailblazers and Solicitor Apprentice
scheme
"As a firm, we are committed to
redesigning the way legal work is done,
and passionate about providing a different
approach to attracting, retaining and
developing great people. We see
apprenticeships as an invaluable
opportunity for harnessing talent. Mike
Potter, Partner and Head of TST
AG Recruitment Process
- Online Application form
- Telephone interview
- 3 day mini ‘vacation scheme’
- Welcome Evening
- Induction
Irwin Mitchell Recruitment Timeline
March – April Application window
April – May CV and video interview
sifting
July Line Manager interview /
assessment
August A level results
September Start in business
Application Statistics
Office Applicati
ons
Video
intervie
ws
Assessme
nt centre
Roles
Birmingha
m
167 15 7 3
Leeds 142 17 6 1
London 198 11 6 2
Sheffield 129 19 10 4
Total 636 62 29 10
Apprentice support system
• Induction
• Line manager
• Buddy
• Monthly 121s
• Protected study time
• Technical and soft skill training – from Firm and
Provider
• Line Manager training – managing young talent
Irwin Mitchell Next steps
• CILEx Graduate Scheme
• Broadening the programme to other areas – finance, IT,
Customer Service
• BAU v regular intakes
• Grow organically
Ellie’s Perspective – Paralegal
Apprentice
• Background
– Joined the Commercial Litigation Team in September 2016.
– Currently assisting members of the Com Lit team in matters
that are funded by way of Legal Expenses Insurance.
– Primarily working on breach of contract and property claims.
– Completed A Levels at Barnsley Sixth Form College in June
2016, having studied Law, English Language and Literature and
Business Studies.
– Prior to joining Irwin Mitchell worked in family’s local business
in a role with managerial and customer service responsibilities.
Ellie’s Perspective – Why an
Apprenticeship?
– University costs
– Changing society/legal industry
– Experience
– Working for a valued and reputable firm
– No guarantee of employment after University
Ellie’s Perspective – Paralegal
Apprentice
• Recruitment experience?– Clear and structured
– Irwin Mitchell’s values/brand clearly implemented throughout
• How the role is going?– Invaluable experience, learning from skilled and knowledgeable
members of the team
– Development of key skills
– Understanding of court process/litigation/running of a law firm
• Advice to those thinking of taking on an apprentice– Ensure there is a willingness to invest time and effort
– Ensure there are sufficient resources to take on an apprentice
– Ensure there is sufficient planning and structure in place
Annie’s view…..
– I joined the Corporate sub team in the TST in September
2015, then moved to F&P and now I am currently in the
Real Estate sub team.
– Currently working on a large project that involves
transfers of a large amount of properties.
– Completed A levels in Law, French and Biology at Holy
Cross Sixth Form College in June 2014.
What attracted me to an
apprenticeship?
– The earn as you learn aspect
– Recognised legal qualification
– Real experience – knowing that what I was learning was
relevant
– Dedicated 3 hours a week to complete my qualification
and a week off per year for study leave to revise for
exams
My experience
The recruitment process
• 3 day vacation scheme/trial gave a real insight into what I would be doing
• The qualification was well advertised
My role– I was given more responsibility than I expected
– The same standard of quality is expected of you early on
– At the beginning some people were reluctant to let an apprentice pick up work for them
– We rotate seats which gives us a choice at the end of our apprenticeship and we gain more skills throughout
Considerations for employers
– Advertise the qualification they will be achieving
– If possible run a vacation scheme
– Target sixth forms as well as the main colleges
– Explain the type of work that your firm does
– Have a buddy scheme set up for when the apprentices
start
– Advertise blogs of previous apprentices
Discussion points
• What challenges do you face introducing an
apprenticeship scheme and how can you overcome
these?
• How should apprenticeships be promoted internally at
partner/management level by HR?
• What are the best ways to promote legal
apprenticeships to schools, parents and students
• What does the apprentice recruitment process look
like?
• How can firm’s best supervise apprentices?