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Applications this year
The legal profession is evolving rapidly, and so are the skills needed to succeed within it.
We're currently reviewing and redesigning our emerging talent programmes to ensure they continue to reflect the future needs of our clients, our people and the profession.
While applications for our programmes are not currently open, we're excited about the future and look forward to sharing more about the next chapter of our emerging talent opportunities ahead of their launch in Autumn 2027.
To stay up to date with the latest news, events and future opportunities, sign up to our mailing list.
Salary & retention
Solicitor apprentice salary
With a starting salary of £25,000 in year one in the regions, or £28,000 in London, your salary will increase each year as your experience grows. In years five and six you’ll match our trainee rates at that time. These rates are effective from 7 September 2026.
Trainee solicitor salaries
NQ salaries
Retention rates
Our goal is to retain all of our trainee solicitors upon qualification. We typically offer more newly qualified (NQ) roles than we have qualifying trainees each year. However, there are occasions where a trainee’s preferred qualification route doesn’t fully align with the roles available, which can impact the final outcome.
In recent years, we achieved the following retention rates across our March and September qualification cohorts:
Q: Which locations do you offer to complete a placement or training contract?
England – We have typically offered placements and training contracts in our core office locations, which includes four of our English offices: Birmingham, Leeds, London, and Manchester. You will qualify as a solicitor under the Law Society of England and Wales.
Scotland – We have typically offered placements and training contracts in Edinburgh and Glasgow. As a trainee based in Scotland, you will likely spend your 24-month training contract across both office locations, depending on which area of law you are training in, but you will be assigned a base office. The graduate programme here is known as a traineeship, you will qualify as a solicitor under the Law Society of Scotland.
Q: Can I apply for a placement in a different location to where I would like to apply for a training contract?When applications open, we recommend applying for the same location for your placement and the training contract. The placement offers you the opportunity to build relationships with the people you will be working with during your training contract.
Q: Which locations do you offer to complete a solicitor apprenticeship?We have solicitor apprentices based in Birmingham, Leeds and London.
Q: Do you recruit trainee solicitors in Northern Ireland?We are not currently recruiting trainee solicitors to join our Belfast office in Northern Ireland.
Eligibility to apply
Q: What year should I be in to apply?
Applications aren’t currently open, but when they do reopen, here’s a guide to when you would typically be eligible to apply, based on your year of study or stage in your career.
To apply, you’ll need to be able to start your training contract in September of the relevant intake year, having completed any postgraduate study required for your route by then, such as the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice or Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
As a general guide:
- English Law or Scots Law degree students: you can apply from your penultimate year onwards, including in your final year or as a graduate.
- English non-law degree students: you can apply in your final year or as a graduate.
- Scottish non-law degree students intending to convert to Scots Law: you can apply from the first year of your accelerated LLB onwards.
If you’re not sure whether you’re at the right stage to apply, please get in touch with our Emerging Talent team. We’ll be happy to help you work it out.
Q: What are the minimum requirements to apply for the placement and training contract?
We want to recruit the very best talent, but we know that academics aren’t the only measure of success. Law requires a high level of intellect, but we look for candidates with strengths in other areas too.
When our application reopens, we'll share details here about the specific eligibility requirements.
Q: If I initially studied a non-law degree will this put me at a disadvantage?
Studying a non-law undergraduate degree does not put you at a disadvantage. We will always accept applications from all undergraduate students and welcome applicants with diverse knowledge and skill sets, this includes career changers, and those who are taking a different path into law.
Q: I am an international student, can I apply?
Yes, providing you are eligible to work within the UK. We have been granted a license to sponsor successful applicants for a skilled worker visa.
Application process
When our application reopens, we'll share details here about the specific application and assessment process.
Q: You mention you are a Disability Confident Employer. What does this mean?
Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. The Disability Confident scheme replaced the Two Ticks Positive about Disabled People scheme. We had been accredited as a two tick employer for many years - Disability Confident broadens and develops that original commitment, and demonstrates we have adopted a proactive approach to employing disabled people and developing their abilities.
As part of our accreditation, we commit to interviewing any disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for each vacancy.
Shoosmiths reserve the right to determine the minimum criteria. For clarity, please note that the minimum criteria for our roles is not based on academics alone, but also considers the application in full. You can read more about Shoosmiths’ commitments to equality and inclusion here.
Postgraduate studies
Q: Do Shoosmiths have a preferred postgraduate provider?
Shoosmiths are proud to partner with BPP University to provide PGDL and SQE training in England. However we do not have a specific postgraduate provider in Scotland for the Diploma.
Q: Will Shoosmiths want me to do the LPC or SQE?
If you receive a training contract offer for one of our English offices, and you are a law candidate you will need to complete the LLM SQE before your training contract (QWE) commences. (You do not need to have completed this at the point of application).
If you receive a training contract offer for one of our English offices, and you are a non-law candidate you will need to complete the PGDL and the LLM SQE before your training contract (QWE) commences.
If you have already completed the LPC, then you are still eligible to apply to us, and you will need to complete the SQE2 (practical legal skills) in addition.
The tuition and exam fees will be funded by the firm, and we'll provide financial sponsorship to support your living costs during your studies.
The solicitor apprenticeship
Q: Do you offer apprenticeships?
Shoosmiths is committed to nurturing talent and developing expertise through providing relevant vocational and professional apprenticeships across all its divisions and directorates.
We’re pleased to support the level 7 solicitor apprenticeship in Birmingham, London and Leeds.
Apprenticeships can be offered to new or existing members of Shoosmiths staff and are for individuals over the age of 16, living in England who are not in full time education, and who do not already have a University degree.
Applications for our solicitor apprenticeship have now closed for the year, but you can learn more about them here.
Eligibility & application details
Q: What solicitor apprenticeship does Shoosmiths offer?
Shoosmiths offers a six-year Level 7 solicitor apprenticeship.
Q: Who is eligible to apply for the solicitor apprenticeship?
The apprenticeship is open to individuals over 16, living in England, not in full-time education, and without a university degree.
Q: When can I apply for the solicitor apprenticeship?
Applications for this year have now closed. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates and be the first to know when future opportunities become available.
Q: When are the dates of the placement?
The vacation placement typically takes place during the Spring break.
There will not be a placement taking place in 2027 while we review and redesign our programme.
Q: Do you offer work experience other than the placement?
We do work with some external organisations to offer additional work placements. These are usually organisations with a focus on social mobility, diversity, and inclusion.
Aside from these we do not offer any other work experience opportunities. But you can find lots of useful resources on the careers blog, and we recommend attending an insight evening so that you can meet people and get to know whether Shoosmiths is the right firm for you.
Q: How do I contact the emerging talent team at Shoosmiths?
Email: joinus@shoosmiths.com
Q: Where can I read more about the emerging talent programmes at Shoosmiths?
- TargetJobs
- City Century (solicitor apprenticeships)
Q: Where can I follow you?
Q: Do you have current vacancies?
View all current vacancies here.
Q: Can I sign up to receive updates about Shoosmiths’ applications?
Yes, follow this link to subscribe for insights, event invites and application updates.