Doing an Intermediate Apprenticeship in law

Emma Finamore
Last updated 21 Jan 2019

Explore the apprenticeship options available in law, for those wanting to complete an Intermediate Apprenticeship.

There are many ways of entering law and the legal sector without going to university, and with an Intermediate Apprenticeship you don’t even have to take A-levels: you can dive right in.

The Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship in Legal Administration has been developed by CILEx – The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives – in conjunction with Skills for Justice, the National Apprenticeship Service and national law firms. Legal administrators are staff who can assist in the progression of cases but have primarily administrative, rather than legal, knowledge.

This Intermediate Apprenticeship is ideal for school leavers who have good GCSEs, looking for a vocational alternative to staying on at school to do A-levels and who wish to get into the legal environment straight from school; especially those who want to avoid the cost of going to university.

Apprentices must demonstrate functional skills – including English, maths and ICT, unless they already hold a GCSE pass at grade C or above obtained within the last five years, and equivalent qualifications. Most legal employers will recruit apprentices who already have these skills, so these units are not necessarily included within the programmes.

Those on Intermediate Apprenticeships in legal administration can also train in the following areas, among others:

Legal audio processing
Proofreading in the legal environment
Legal text processing
The legal environment
Civil litigation
Principles of criminal liability
Family law
Principles of contract liability
Wills and succession
Principles of negligence
Conveyance
Law in the workplace

Those completing Intermediate Apprenticeships in Legal Administration can progress to a CILEx Level 3 Certificate in Law and Practice or an Advanced Apprenticeship as a paralegal officer, paralegal assistant
or legal adviser. You could then move onto a Higher Apprenticeship in a role such as senior claims handler, senior paralegal officer or senior litigation executive.

As with all apprenticeships, Intermediate Apprenticeships in law will involve a combination of paid work and assessed training, with a training provider such as a further education college, all while being paid a proper wage.

To find out more about completing an Intermediate Apprenticeship in law, head over to the school leaver section on AllAboutLaw.