We are really excited to announce that we are recruiting for another Solicitor Apprentice at Kingsley Napley! We will be looking for one individual to join the firm and commence our six year programme from January 2026.
We recognise that there are different pathways to suit different people, and university is not necessarily for everyone. The apprenticeship offers a different pathway where you can enter the legal world and start earning a salary from day one. You will gain real-world and real-life experience within a leading law firm, and with some of the best lawyers in the country, and we will support you every step of the way to help build and develop your skills with hands-on experience and practical training.
The Kingsley Napley (KN) solicitor apprenticeship is a level 7 solicitor apprenticeship programme, at the end of which you will become a qualified solicitor. This will take six years in total. You will work 4 days a week in the office with 1 day a week studying towards your legal qualifications, and KN will cover all costs for training and tuition.
KN has consistently been voted the top London firm law firm to work for by Best Companies for a number of years, and we are very proud of our inclusive, supportive and friendly culture. You will receive dedicated support and guidance throughout your entire apprenticeship (and beyond once you have qualified as a solicitor) – as we want to help you, in every way, to succeed. You will be assigned a qualified supervisor to assign you tasks and meet regularly, and you will be assigned a buddy, another Solicitor Apprentice, who will help you settle into life at KN.
The deadline to apply is 18th August 2025
Programme Details
Progression from Admin Assistant to Trainee
Year 1
Administrative Assistant
↓
Years 2-4
Paralegal/ Senior Paralegal
↓
Years 5-6
Trainee
The apprenticeship programme will give you the opportunity to start as an entry level administrative assistant – learning the ropes and getting used to a legal/ office environment and working alongside other administrators and paralegals. You will sit within a variety of different practice areas to give you the breadth of experience and valuable insight needed to successfully qualify as a solicitor. This role is one based on continuous learning and development and you will need to show a commitment to your own personal development and learning throughout.
During the first four years you will rotate between different practice areas and as well as our newly created, and very exciting, innovation and legal operations teams. During the final part of your apprenticeship, you will join the trainee solicitor intake, and train for six months in four different practice areas. You will be able to submit the practice areas you would like to gain experience in, and we will do our best to accommodate these.
Salary
Your starting salary will be £23,000 and will increase every year as you move through the programme. You will also receive an annual allowance of £3,000 for the first four years to support you with the cost of accommodation. Various benefits are available to you such as private medical cover and an annual wellness subsidy. You will earn a trainee solicitor salary in your final two years (this is currently £40,000, but subject to change) and a newly qualified solicitor once you qualify. All of your tuition and course fees will be funded by KN.
Study Details
You will study and qualify through the SQE route alongside learning the regulatory framework required to become a qualified solicitor.
Our Training provider is the University of Law. You will undertake study towards the two assessments and will sit SQE1 and SQE2 in your final year of study. From year 5 onwards, you will also prepare a work-based portfolio of evidence. The University of Law work with a blended learning model which means that you may be required to study online for some elements of the qualification but will be closely supervised by a subject tutor. You will also be provided with a dedicated skills coach who will review your progress every 12 weeks through 1-to-1 tutorials and progress reviews.
Enrolment onto the apprenticeship scheme is in January 2026 at University of Law’s London Moorgate campus. The first week will be an induction on the week commencing the 12th January 2025.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible to apply for the Solicitor Apprentice role, you must have completed GCSEs and A Levels (or equivalent) and you must meet the minimum entry requirement.
- 3 A Levels at Grade C or above, or equivalent*
- Maths and English GCSEs or equivalent, at Grade C/4 or above
Applicants who have a degree should apply for our trainee contract scheme. More information can be found here.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer sponsorship for this position as apprentices must have the right to permanently live and work in the UK.
What are we looking for?
We want to see who you are and we want you to be yourself!
You do not need to have any work experience whatsoever, and you do not need to know anyone in the legal world. We are looking for committed and hardworking individuals who want to be part of a team, learn from others and kick-start their career at Kingsley Napley. However, whilst we do not need any work experience, there are attributes that we will be looking for. These are detailed below:
Attention to detail – ensuring that your work is completed properly and accurately with minimal errors and mistakes
Commitment – embracing change and approaching tasks with a proactive and open mindset
Resilience – the ability to overcome obstacles; showing determination and commitment
Reflectiveness – embracing and accepting feedback; learning from successes and failures and showing a commitment to learning and progression
Curiosity – showing an interest in the legal profession as a whole, but specifically KN as a firm. We want you to research and prepare; know who we are, what we do and what’s important to us
Emotional Intelligence – demonstrates empathy and sensitivity, adapts style and uses appropriate communication
Active listening – Listening to understand rather than to respond and asks appropriate follow up questions
Team work and collaboration – works well with others to problem solve and find the best solutions, respecting differing views and diverse perspectives
How do I apply?
If you require reasonable adjustments, or would like more information about what we can do to support you, at any point throughout the application process then please do email Graduate Recruitment - GraduateRecruitment@kingsleynapley.co.uk.
The deadline to apply is 18th August 2025
Stage 1: Application Process
The first stage in the process is to submit an online application.
You will need to answer a few questions which will help us to learn a little bit about you and understand why you want to join KN. We want to know what it is about our firm that interests you, so please do your research and use this to support your answer to this question. You will also be given the opportunity to share with us your motivations for wanting to pursue a career in law.
We will ask you about your academic achievements, as the apprenticeship scheme has a minimum entry requirement. We work in partnership with Rare Recruitment and encourage you to opt in to sharing your data through this system which will provide those reviewing your application with context around your academic achievements.
There is also an opportunity for you to share any work experience you have gained. Please note that we are not just interested in legal work experience so this absolutely shouldn’t put you off applying. We want you to share experience with us where you believe you have developed skills and attributes that you could transfer to the programme. Examples might be charity work, volunteering days, part time work or extracurricular activities.
Please remember to check (and check again!) your application form to ensure that you have completed all relevant sections before submitting. Attention to detail is a key skill that we will be testing so make sure you are completely happy with your application before you submit.
Stage 2: Online Testing
If you are successful after the written application stage, we will invite you to complete a series of online tests. All details will be given nearer the time, but the tests will be designed to look at your situational judgement, attention to detail and prioritisation skills.
You do not need to have any prior legal experience to complete these tasks.
Stage 3: Final interview
If you are successful after the second stage, you will be invited to our offices in London for a final stage interview. You will get the chance to meet representatives from across the business including lawyers and those who work in our business services teams.
All details of the interview questions and what to expect from us will be given nearer the time.