Solicitor Apprenticeships: The Different Routes in 2026

With funding changes about to kick in and several versions of the solicitor apprenticeship on offer, the landscape for employers and prospective apprentices is, to say the least, confusing. 

In this environment, experience matters. Damar and BARBRI have been delivering apprenticeships and vocational legal education for, in aggregate, over a century. Damar helped develop the first ever legal apprenticeship back in 2013. Here, Damar’s managing director, Jonathan Bourne, and Lucie Allen, Chief Growth Officer at BARBRI, share key considerations and features of different routes. 

From 1 January 2026, Government funding for new level 7 solicitor apprentices will be restricted to those aged under 22 on enrolment (apprenticeships below level 7 are unaffected). This means employers and education providers are re-thinking how they structure their legal apprenticeship programmes to meet business needs in a way that aligns with the new funding environment and ensures that talented future lawyers, of all ages, have accessible routes to qualification. 

Get it right, and the rewards are significant: access to a broader, deeper and more diverse talent pool, less burdened by student debt and steeped in the culture and values of your business; coupled with the benefit of significant Government funding. 

The range of options from providers will certainly become broader. At one level, this is a good thing (after all, we have 10,000+ legal services providers) but working out what is right for your business and your people will, at least in the short-term, become more challenging. To avoid the risk of funding clawback and even litigation, solutions will also need to meet the requirements of the 160-page apprenticeship funding rules, employment law and minimum wage legislation, not to mention SRA and Ofsted requirements. 

Some Background: 

• The apprenticeship. There is only one solicitor apprenticeship standard - the one on the Skills England website. It aligns with the SRA’s requirements and, in brief, requires apprentices to pass SQE1, SQE2 and have at least two years’ qualifying work experience.  
• Each type of solicitor apprenticeship works to exactly the same standard. The differences in duration and content simply reflect apprentices’ prior learning and experience and employer preferences. In terms of end-point, there is no difference between a “graduate” solicitor apprenticeship and a “school-leaver” solicitor apprenticeship. 
• There is no requirement for the solicitor apprenticeship to include a law degree. It is often forgotten that there has never been a requirement for solicitors to have a law degree. Many solicitors are graduates in other subjects who have then completed a Graduate Diploma in Law; some are non-graduates who first qualified via CILEX and then cross-qualified. 

Damar’s solicitor apprenticeship programmes do not include a law degree and, since 2023, Damar has offered a five-year pathway to qualification. This begins with a paralegal apprenticeship over nearly two years, then a shorter-form solicitor apprenticeship over nearly three years. A technology partnership with BARBRI ensures the very best training and preparation for SQE, but the programme also includes wider learning, 1:1 coaching and specialist tutor support.  

The pathway allows apprentices to step on/off programme after two years where appropriate and, whilst remaining challenging and intensive, means that workload is more manageable for employers and apprentices alike. It widens access, allowing apprentices from a wide range of backgrounds to join the profession unburdened by student debt. 

The Damar/BARBRI partnership also means that employers can blend commercial and apprenticeship routes into a single, coherent programme for future lawyers. Employers also benefit from access to short training interventions post-qualification and funded apprenticeships for non-lawyer colleagues across a wide range of support roles. 

However, no one provider’s offer can or should meet the needs of the entire market, so here is a summary of what is currently available. 

The Programmes: 

Six-Year Programmes

These are for apprentices without much (if any) prior legal experience or qualifications and so are most commonly undertaken by school or college leavers. They include a law degree and will either be structured as: 

• A paralegal apprenticeship over two years, which also includes year one of the law degree; then a solicitor apprenticeship over four years; or 
• A solicitor apprenticeship over six years, the first four of which include a law degree, with the final two on SQE preparation. 

Pros: 

• Closest to the traditional route to qualification. 

• Breadth of learning beyond the requirements of the apprenticeship standard. 

• The final two years can be aligned with trainee cohorts. 

• A law degree increases the perceived value of the programme. 

• More of a university-style experience. 

Cons: 

• Workload. Off-the-job training for the apprenticeship generally has to take place within normal, paid working hours. This can be challenging with the inclusion of a broader, law degree syllabus.  

• Work/life balance for apprentices can be harder to manage. 

• Duration. It is difficult for employers and apprentices to know whether they will be suited to being a solicitor six years hence. 

• Limited opportunity to “step-off” if the programme or a career as a solicitor is not right for the apprentice. 

Four-Year Programmes

Also for school and college leavers or others without prior legal experience or qualifications. No law degree, primary focus on the core apprenticeship requirements and SQE. 

Pros: 

• Shortest time to qualification. 

• Off-the job-training still challenging, but delivered more flexibly. 

Cons: 

• No “step-off” point if a career as a solicitor turns out not to be right for the apprentice or the firm. 

• Risk that clients/colleagues will not view equally qualifiers via a four-year work-based route versus a five to seven-year route across other academic and vocational pathways. 

• No Law degree 

Five-Year Solicitor Apprenticeship Pathway

School and college leavers start with a paralegal apprenticeship over two years, then step up to a three-year solicitor apprenticeship. 

Pros: 

• “Step-off” point after two years, with opportunities to progress to other apprenticeships (e.g. CILEX) or the forthcoming advanced paralegal apprenticeship – consequently, less pressure on employers. 

• Off-the job-training still challenging, but delivered more flexibly. 

• More time to embed and apply learning in the workplace. 

• Inclusive: apprentices with other legal qualifications can join the three-year programme. 

Cons: 

• No Law degree 

Two-Year Solicitor Programmes

Intensive, SQE-led programmes for Law and GDL graduates. Because many apprentices are aged 22 or over, demand for these programmes will reduce from 1 January 2026, when government funding for Level 7 comes to an end. However, Damar’s partnership with BARBRI means employers will be able to integrate commercial SQE programmes alongside funded apprenticeship routes. 

Pros: 

• Very effective route to qualification for apprentices enrolling prior to 1 January 2026. 

• Still potentially useful for small numbers of graduate apprentices aged under 22 after 1 January 2026. 

Cons: 

• Difficult for employers and providers to manage enrolments around 22nd birthdays. 

• Could be offered commercially for over 21s, but this will be more expensive than standalone SQE preparation courses. 

• Creates risk of a two-tier programme and different treatment for graduates of different ages. 

What Next? 

2026 will undoubtedly see an increase in the range of available programmes. As well as funded and commercial routes using the level 7 solicitor apprenticeship, expect to see more blended pathways (part funded apprenticeship, part commercial) and greater take-up of other lower-level legal apprenticeships such as the paralegal and the new advanced paralegal standards, as well as the Chartered Legal Executive apprenticeship standard.  

Other policy changes, such as the potential for standalone funded apprenticeship “modules” and short-form apprenticeships over as little as eight months create further opportunities for employers. Throughout, expertise and thought will be required to ensure compliance with the funding rules and regulatory requirements, and maintain inclusivity and equity between apprentices aged under 22 and older candidates. 

Damar and BARBRI are here to support you on that journey and share the benefits of their experience. Please contact us by requesting a call back for more information.

Find out how you can set up your own Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme here.