A paralegal is a highly valued member of a legal team that has extensive knowledge of the law and legal matters, but is not a qualified lawyer. Paralegals undertake a wide variety of administrative and legal work. The work our paralegals do is a key part of how we deliver legal services and they can choose to specialise in a specific area of the law. We have developed the Paralegal Centre of Excellence, which brings together a range of paralegal skills and capabilities and provides a variety of services to both our lawyers and our clients. These include managed legal services, flexible legal provision, legal project management, legal technology consultancy and company secretarial.
As an apprentice paralegal, you will join our Vario Paralegal Centre of Excellence, working alongside experienced paralegals and lawyers on client projects. Your specific experience will depend on the practice area you join (this may include Construction & Projects, Property, Finance & Banking, Disputes, Intellectual Property, Cyber Data & Privacy, Employment, Corporate), but you will make a genuine contribution and will be continuously learning.
This is a unique opportunity to gain practical experience working on real-life legal projects alongside experienced legal professionals, while also studying towards the Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship standard. In addition to covering the training fees, we will also pay you a salary, which will enable you to ‘earn while you learn’.
Our 2025 Paralegal Apprenticeship opportunities are available in our Birmingham and Manchester offices.
If you'd like to find out more about our legal apprenticeships and application process, and hear directly from our current apprentices please click on your preferred date to register for one of our Virtual Insight Events:
If you don’t meet the above minimum academic criteria but you have mitigating circumstances, there’s an opportunity for you to include this information in your registration form.
Graduates or students who have completed more than one year of any degree (including law) are not eligible for this programme as their skills and knowledge exceed the level of this apprenticeship.
Candidates who have already completed a legal apprenticeship are not eligible for this programme.
Please note, due to the funding requirements all candidates must have the right to live and work in the UK for the full duration of the apprenticeship.
Our apprenticeship salaries are subject to review on an annual basis. The current starting paralegal apprenticeship salary rates are as follows:
Apprentices are welcomed to the firm with a comprehensive induction programme.
Paralegal apprentices have a dedicated weekly study day during which they study legal foundation subjects and skills modules as well as prepare for a range of assessments. Paralegal apprentices spend the remaining four days per week working with colleagues in the office.
Throughout your apprenticeship you will be based in one or two teams, enabling you to develop a good understanding of the specific areas of law. You may also have an opportunity to assist other teams depending on business needs.
Some travel within the UK and Ireland might be required during your apprenticeship. We will reimburse any travel-related business expenses in line with our policy to enable you to meet the business needs and access relevant training opportunities.
The below shows the typical recruitment process for our legal apprenticeships.
Tell us about yourself, your academic history and your employment history where applicable. We also gather information about you to support our contextualized recruitment approach.
The next stage of the recruitment process will involve completing our online blended assessment. This blended assessment incorporates situational judgment questions, a written case study and a short recorded video interview allowing Pinsent Masons to see how well you would perform in different scenarios.
If you pass the online blended assessment, we’ll ask you to book a place at one of our in-person assessment centres. You will complete three exercises over the day – this will include a one-to-one interview, a business simulation exercise and a case study.
Whatever the outcome, we’ll let you know as soon as we can after the assessment centre. If you display the key attributes we are looking for and perform well throughout the assessment, we’ll send you an offer and talk you through the onboarding process.
Alongside your studies, you can expect to be asked to do a wide variety of work. Some of it will be more administrative in nature, particularly in the early days of your career. Legal work will include helping to manage the documentation required in legal matters, including creating bundles of documents that will be used in court; drafting of legal documents such as contracts, settlement agreements and legal pleadings; legal research; helping to create and maintain template documents (precedents) that will be used in legal transactions; taking minutes and writing up notes for meetings or legal proceedings.
You will be supervised by an experienced MLS (managed legal services) delivery manager and supported by your team and a dedicated early talent team. You will receive full training which will combine on-the-job learning and formal structured sessions to ensure you are fully equipped to succeed in the role. You will also have access to a wide range of courses available through our Pinsent Masons Learning and Development team, enabling you to develop your skills and build a successful career.
As part of a friendly team, you will have opportunity to enjoy an active social life – this includes sports activities, charity work and meals out. You will also have the opportunity to work and network with other apprentice paralegals.
Upon successful completion of your paralegal apprenticeship, you could have the opportunity to apply for paralegal roles at Pinsent Masons and explore a range of future progression opportunities available within our Paralegal Centre of Excellence. Alternatively, depending on role availability and individual preference, you could also apply for our solicitor apprenticeship programme.
If you are successful in securing a Pinsent Masons solicitor apprenticeship role following completion of our paralegal apprenticeship, the duration of the solicitor apprenticeship would be shortened.
To start your application, please click on apply now. Once you have registered an account, you will need to complete the following before the application closing date:
Once you have submitted all of the above, our recruitment team will review your application alongside your online blended assessment and will be in touch in due course regarding your outcome.
The number of available roles and their location depends on business needs and can change each year. Please keep an eye on this website for updates.
As a part of your apprenticeship, you will study towards the Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship standard delivered by the University of Law, the largest provider of legal education in the UK.
During the paralegal apprenticeship you will be supported by a Pinsent Masons supervisor who is an experienced MLS delivery manager, a dedicated Early Talent team member, and a University of Law skills coach. You will also have access to the University of Law student support and wellbeing services.
Throughout your journey you will also have a chance to meet and network with the Pinsent Masons apprentices who are studying towards a range of apprenticeship standards.
Yes, please include your predicted A-Level (or equivalent qualification) grades in your application. If you’re successful in securing an apprenticeship with us, we will ask you to confirm your obtained grades on your A-Level (or equivalent) results day.
Unfortunately graduates or students who have completed more than one year of any degree are not eligible for this programme as their skills and knowledge exceed the level of this apprenticeship.
Each year we receive a large number of applications for our apprenticeship programmes. We review all applications following the closing date and contact the candidates once the full screening process is completed. While this process can take a few months, we will share the outcome of your application as soon as we can.
If you don’t complete the online blended assessment and submit your full application before the closing date your application will be withdrawn.
If you have any questions please contact our Early Talent team at [email protected]
Fraser King, a future trainee at Pinsent Masons talks through some helpful tips for completing our online blended assessment.
Exciting news— we are now accepting applications for a range of Early Talent UK programmes across our vast network!
Hear from Amber, a second-year Apprentice Paralegal, about her experience as a Pro Bono Champion.
Combining academic studies with work-based learning, you’ll earn as you learn and gain a professional qualification.
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