International law firm Gowling WLG is to hire up to 18 new legal apprentices to join the firm in September 2017.
They will all follow the Paralegal Apprenticeship programme over two years and will be placed across a number of teams including real estate, construction, banking & finance and dispute resolution.
This expanded programme is part of Gowling WLG's ongoing commitment to widening access to the profession. It builds on the successful pilot programme launched in September 2015 when four apprentices joined the real estate team. These first apprentices will complete their Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services (former Paralegal Apprenticeship) this summer and are expected to continue onto the Chartered Legal Executive or Solicitor Apprenticeship. All the formal training is delivered by CILEx Law School.
HR Director, Chris Oglethorpe, said: "We've had an excellent experience with our current apprentices and with CILEx Law School over the past two years. It has shown us that apprenticeships are a good way of recruiting and developing diverse talent. An added incentive for expanding the scheme is that we are able to apply our apprenticeship levy payments, which come into force on 6 April 2017, to good effect."
Jenny Pelling, Director of Business and Apprenticeships at CILEx Law School, said: "We are delighted that a prestigious client such as Gowling WLG is so committed to the expansion of the apprenticeship scheme that we have developed with them over the past years. We look forward to working with them under the funding arrangements brought about by the levy."
In addition to the 18 legal apprentices, Gowling WLG will also recruit six apprentices to its Business Services department. The one-year programme will see apprentices spend six months with two different teams, where they will also study for a Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration with an Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) accreditation. The programme is being run in conjunction with Birmingham Metropolitan College and will begin in September 2017.