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Solicitor Apprentice
Solicitor Apprentice
About us
We combine the global with the local as a polycentric law firm with no global headquarters and 4 offices in the UK: Milton Keynes, London, and the Central Belt (Edinburgh & Glasgow)
We welcome Diversity & Inclusion Enthusiasts and have 6 diversity networks sponsored by our CEO, Paul Jarvis, and shaped by our people: Inspire, Glow, Black Professional Network, Fusion, Parents and Carers Network, My Healthy Balance
Last year, 10,540 volunteering hours were invested by partners and legal staff, representing a saving of £2.9m to our local communities across legal and non-legal CSR and Pro Bono activities
We are Dentons. The world’s largest law firm. With more than 12,500 people in 80+ countries around the world, we have unique breadth, depth and diversity. Alongside our award-winning global work, we are committed to a culture of innovation, giving back and inclusion. Dentons is designed to be different. The landscape we work in is changing at an accelerating pace. We embrace this change and are looking for trainees and apprentices to join us in redefining what is possible and in shaping the future of law. Your career at Dentons can shape up to be something extraordinary. It’s a place for those who are driven to challenge. To question. To break tradition. To put your career firmly into fast-forward. This could be the start of something big.
GAP APPRENTICESHIPS: MARKETING
Natasha Rooney
What was your apprenticeship qualification?
"I completed a SCQF Level 6 - Digital Marketing Apprenticeship with QA Apprenticeships."
What did you learn during your apprenticeship?
"I liked the idea of being able to learn and work at the same time. I gained so much experience during a short space of time. All aspects of marketing, including email marketing, legal requirements in sales and marketing and marketing principles. I participated in many training weeks where I gained many skills like how to perform an SEO audit, and how to complete a marketing strategy to increase brand awareness."
What support did you receive from GAP during your time as an apprentice?
"I had a great team during my time as an apprentice. If I ever had any questions, I always knew that I could ask someone, and they’d be happy to help. I was able to take time out of work to complete training during business hours."
How did you find the experience overall?
"I really enjoyed my time as an apprentice because I gained so many skills and am now able to put them to use in my day-to-day job."
How has your role changed since completing your apprenticeship?
"I have taken on a lot more responsibility within the team. I am able to complete any task that is given to me. I’ve worked closely with new members who have joined that team and am able to support them with familiarising themselves with GAP Marketing.
Do you have any advice for future apprentices?
"Work hard because it’s worth it."
What are your future plans now you have completed your apprenticeship?
"Since completing my apprenticeship I have progressed to the role of Marketing Assistant. I know all aspects of marketing thanks to my apprenticeship, and I plan to continue to develop my skillsets and progress in my career."
Who Should Apply?
There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ trainee or apprentice at Dentons and that’s the way we like it. Our expertise within the Firm are as diverse as the needs of our global clients.
We generally look for a strong performance at A-Level (ABB), but consider every application we receive in context and holistically. If you feel you can submit a strong application even if you do not meet these grades we encourage you to apply.
We also encourage you to include mitigating circumstances if relevant. We implemented the Rare Recruitment Contextual Recruitment System, to give us additional context to every candidate’s application.
Why Join Us?
Dentons has welcomed eight cohorts of solicitor apprentices over the years, and we are now recruiting for our ninth cohort who will start with the firm in September2025.
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.Since the start of our programme, we have welcomed 33 school leavers, and positioned ourselves as one of the leaders in the UK legal market with one of the largest cohorts.
We are proud of our constant development in this space, and have received extensive recognition for our programme by being shortlisted for multiple awards in 2023/2024 including: the Legal 500 ESG Awards, Women Influence & Power in Law Awards, ISE Awards, People in Law awards. We also received Excellence in Human Resource Innovation in the Legal Innovation Awards 2024.
We are a member of City Century, the award-winning solicitor apprenticeship initiative that identifies, recruits, educates, and develops the very best talent, connecting them to the City of London. Within this initiative we have been using our experience to mentor other firms as they embark in their journey to welcome their first cohort of Solicitor Apprentices
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 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.
"I chose the apprenticeship route to avoid the debt! On the programme, I have been able to work on trailblazer cases and draft complex legal documents with support from highly experienced lawyers. This route has laid a solid foundation forme to thrive in a (hopefully!) successful legal career," says Ameena Ahmed, a third-year Solicitor Apprentice.
Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing
At Dentons, inclusion and diversity is not just a core value – it is an integral part of our strategy. Building a more inclusive and diverse law firm is core to our strategy because it leads to better business outcomes for our clients, our communities and for Dentons.
We believe in creating an environment where everyone can thrive. We work hard to nurture a sense of inclusion that is empowering to the individual, to the teams and to the Firm.
Examples of our inclusion strategy include a focus on allyship programmes, access initiatives, mentoring programmes, and a series of events and conversation focussed on equity and inclusion.
Our Inclusion Networks also play a huge part in fostering a sense of belonging and support for everyone at the firm. These groups include GLOW (LGBTQ+), Fusion (Asian Professionals), BPN (Black Professionals), Inspire (Gender Equality), Accessibility (Disability), and our Parents and Carers network.
Innovation
Here at Dentons, innovation isn’t something that sits in isolation – we believe it comes from everywhere and from everyone, and it is critical to our position as the world’s largest global law firm. We do this by challenging ourselves to identify and implement innovation across all areas of service delivery to our clients. We have created a highly bespoke programme for our trainees, to enhance their knowledge around legal innovation and digital transformation. At every seat rotation, each trainee will undertake an innovation project, and with the help of their designated Innovation Training Scheme supervisor, and Innovation team, will create a project based on one of the following categories: AI (Machine Learning), Document Automation, Design Thinking, RPA (Robotic Process Automation), Data Visualization or a Business Case. These projects, not only help to broaden trainees’ understanding of legal innovation, but also help us to identify and address innovation gaps within the firm. See here for further information on how we help our clients innovate in different ways.
Job Sectors
Apprentices are able to choose from a wealth of seats to work with experts across our practice areas: Banking and Finance, Competition, Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Projects, PRM (People, Reward and Mobility), Real Estate, Tax and TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications).Work is also about more than just work here. It's about the environment too, and the feeling you get from your team, office and beyond. Our teams are focused on inclusion, giving back, and on looking forward with innovation.