Aspiring Solicitors

We offer two main graduate routes to qualification as a solicitor. Our Direct Entry Programme is for first-year and penultimate-year law students studying a qualifying law degree in England and Wales. This route is not available to students studying for a Scottish law degree. Successful candidates on the Direct Entry Programme may receive a trainee offer directly after graduation, following completion of the relevant assessment stages.

Our Legal Graduate Programme is for final-year students and graduates who are ready to join Freeths in a legal role and develop towards qualification. Candidates seeking a Scottish traineeship should apply through the Legal Graduate Programme.

Freeths supports an apprenticeship route to qualification as a solicitor, however this programme is under review and will be relaunched in the Autumn of 2027.

Formal training is delivered through the Freeths traineeship. Academic training for solicitors to qualify in England and Wales is delivered by the University of Law, either part time or full time, where trainees prepare for and sit SQE 1 and SQE 2. Formal training in Scotland follows the Law Society of Scotland’s PEAT 2 route: a two-year traineeship where trainees build their skills through supervised practical experience.

SQE1 and SQE2 are the two parts of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, the assessment route for qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales. SQE1 tests legal knowledge through single best answer questions, while SQE2 focuses on practical legal skills, such as interviewing, advocacy, legal writing, drafting, research and case analysis.

Yes. Freeths fully funds all preparatory course fees and the first sitting of exam fees.

QWE stands for Qualifying Work Experience. Trainees qualifying in England and Wales are required to complete two years’ QWE as part of their route to qualification.

Yes. Trainees rotate seats to ensure that they get experience in different areas of law during their traineeship.

Trainees receive close supervision throughout their traineeship, with regular feedback and guidance from their supervisors as they develop their legal skills and confidence. They also take part in our Trainee Development Programme, which is designed to support their growth as future solicitors, and each trainee is assigned a trainee mentor to provide additional guidance, support and insight throughout their training journey.

No. Freeths is no longer accepting candidates through the LPC route.

Yes, if you have completed your SQE qualifications or part 1 of the qualification you can apply to the Legal Graduate Programme if you meet the eligibility requirements.  Please note we do not provide retrospective funding of the SQE course costs.

We offer a year 12 work experience programme in Nottingham through specific college partnerships.  We offer a Legal Placement as part of our Direct Entry programme in England & Wales for 2nd year/penultimate year undergraduates.  In late Summer we will have a virtual work experience event for Year 12 students going into Year 13, more details of this event will be available on our Future Talent Hub in due course.  We do not offer work experience outside of our established programmes. 

No, we don’t set minimum grade requirements. However, strong academic ability is important, as candidates need to be able to manage the demands of the solicitor qualification pathway and deliver the quality of work expected at Freeths.

Candidates apply online and complete our application form. Candidates for Legal Placement and our Legal Graduate scheme will complete an online assessment and if successful will have a strengths-based interview. For other opportunities, candidates may be assessed on the strength of their application. 

We operate anonymous sifting for all future talent opportunities.  Candidates are strongly advised to visit our Preparation Plus for tips about our strengths-based recruitment process and to visit the Future Talent Hub for more information about Freeths before applying.

Yes. We are able to gather any reasonable adjustments you may need during the application process. If you need an adjustment to help you complete an application, please contact the future talent team using the enquiry form on our website.

Information about reasonable adjustment requests will only be shared with those who need it to make or manage the adjustment. It will be handled sensitively and used only to support you through the recruitment process.

We will review your request and, where needed, discuss it with you so we can understand what support may be appropriate. We will then confirm any agreed arrangements for the relevant stage of the application process.

We are a Skilled Worker visa sponsor. We can sponsor candidates under the Skilled Worker route, provided they meet the specific eligibility requirements for the role.