Apprenticeships

Please note that our apprenticeship positions commencing September 2008 have now been filled.

Legal Training and Careers at L'Estrange & Brett

The success of our business is largely dependent on the quality and commitment of the people who work with us and the firm is therefore very keen to attract the best people to join us at all levels. We work hard to maintain an excellent working environment and if you join us we are confident you will have the opportunity to achieve your full potential in a satisfying and rewarding career.

Apprenticeships

If you are a law graduate and would like to apply for a position as an apprentice and you intend to qualify as a solicitor in Northern Ireland and attend the IPLS, we would like to hear from you.

In recent years we have recruited an average of three apprentice solicitors each year and we would seek to recruit those with the best mix of academic achievement and personal skills. Common sense, an ability to communicate effectively and a sense of humour are important factors.

Training

The aim of an apprenticeship is to give you the skills and experience necessary to practice as a qualified solicitor and to give you a sufficiently broad experience to enable you to make an informed choice as to which area of practice suits you best.

The firm's substantial programme of training means that most apprentices will normally work for an equal period of time in each of the three principal departments of property, company/commercial and litigation. Over that period you will learn the core skills of legal practice. Although you will be closely supervised and your progress monitored through end of seat meetings, you will also be encouraged to work using your own initiative once a task has been set.

We hope to be able to offer places in the firm to apprentices who successfully complete their apprenticeships. This is, of course, dependant on how they get on during their time with us and the personnel requirements of the firm. In recent years, the vast majority of apprentices have been offered places on qualifying.

We do not see qualification as a solicitor as the end of your training. The firm believes in the importance of ongoing training and personal development and all solicitors attend a programme of external seminars every year.

In addition, there is a programme of in-house training and skills development workshops where the experience and technical knowledge of the more senior members of the firm is passed on to apprentices. Solicitors at all levels in the firm also give seminars on topical legal issues.

Qualifications

We seek to recruit people with a good academic background - preferably with at least a second class first division degree in law. All appointments are made subject to the apprentice being awarded and taking up a place at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies at Queen’s University, Belfast. The firm will pay the IPLS fees in addition to a monthly salary

Routes into the Legal Profession

The Law Society of Northern Ireland is the governing body of the Solicitors' profession in the Province and prescribes the legal education and training necessary to qualify as a solicitor. A detailed explanation of the various routes into the profession including for those who took their law degree and/or are qualified outside Northern Ireland appears on the Law Society's web site which can be accessed by clicking here http://www.lawsoc-ni.org/guide.htm

If you have any questions, please contact Gill Warwick (our Office Manager) at gill.warwick@lestrangeandbrett.com or Lisa Little at lisa.little@lestrangeandbrett.com