If you’re looking for the best apprenticeship program in California, we’ve got you covered. This post explores all you need to know about California State Bar Apprenticeship Program, legal apprenticeship programs, graduate solicitor apprenticeship, law office study program losp, and how to find a law apprenticeship.

It can be tough to find the most up-to-date information on the internet. Thankfully, this article provides you with more information on legal apprenticeships california, law apprenticeship near me & reading the law program california. Why don’t you read on to know more about California State Bar Apprenticeship Program, legal apprenticeship programs, graduate solicitor apprenticeship, law office study program losp, and how to find a law apprenticeship.

Legal apprenticeships are a great way for students to get hands-on experience in their field before graduating from school. Many employers look favorably on applicants who have completed an apprenticeship before applying for a position at their firm.

The following are some of the benefits of completing a legal apprenticeship:

• It gives you hands-on experience in your field of choice while still in school

• You will build relationships with mentors and other professionals in your field

• You may receive job offers before you graduate from school or pass the bar exam

• You will have less stress during school because you know what type of work environment you want to work in after graduation

If you’re interested in finding out more about legal apprenticeships, contact us today!

California State Bar Apprenticeship Program

We begin with California State Bar Apprenticeship Program, then legal apprenticeship programs, graduate solicitor apprenticeship, law office study program losp, and how to find a law apprenticeship.

Many people attend law school as part of their journey to practice law. But you can also fulfill your legal studies in a law office or judge’s chamber.

Applicants intending to pursue their legal education through the law office/judge’s chambers program must file an initial report on the designated form within 30 days of the date the law office study commenced. Subsequent reports on the designated form and examinations must be submitted within 30 days after completion of each six-month study period.

A $158 fee must accompany the Notice of Intent to Study in a Law Office or Judge’s Chambers, which is the initial report. A $105 fee must accompany each semi-annual report submitted after that. All reports must include the Law Office Study Report cover sheet and must be submitted by certified mail with return receipt requested or delivered in person to either the Los Angeles or San Francisco Office of Admissions.

Applicants are qualified to take the First-Year Law Students’ Examination after completing one year of law study. Certain applicants are exempt from the examination as specified in Rule 4.55 of the Admissions Rules. Applicants required to take the First-Year Law Students’ Examination, which includes students participating in the law office/judge’s chambers program, who pass the examination within three consecutive administrations of first becoming eligible to take it, will receive credit for law study completed up to the time the examination is passed (calculated to the date the examination is administered rather than to the date the results are released). Applicants who pass it thereafter will only receive credit for one year of law study.

For more information, the requirements for admission to practice law in California are contained in the Rules of the State Bar of California, Title 4 – Admissions and Educational Standards. The following is a summary of the requirements for qualifying for admission to practice law in California through study in a law office or judge’s chambers. For the specific requirements, refer to Title 4, Division 1, Chapter 3, Rule 4.29.

legal apprenticeship programs

Now we focus on legal apprenticeship programs, graduate solicitor apprenticeship, law office study program losp, and how to find a law apprenticeship.

What legal apprenticeships are available?

Law apprenticeships exist in the form of government-backed, employer-designed ‘trailblazer’ schemes, which cater for apprentices working towards three broad levels: legal administration/support, paralegal or solicitor.

There is also a specialist pathway to qualify as a chartered legal executive. Each can be taken as a stand-alone apprenticeship, or can be linked for those who want to progress between roles.

• Set at GCSE level, CILEx Level 2 Diploma for Legal Secretaries teaches you about secretarial work in a legal environment, with a focus on either legal information processing or legal studies. An advanced, Level 3 (set at A-level) Certificate/Diploma for Legal Secretaries is also available.
• The Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship takes two-years to complete. You’ll get an introduction to law and practice, legal research and client care skills. Upon completion you can work towards the Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice (with exemptions) or the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship.
• The Level 6 Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship takes five years to complete and is only available for apprentices who have completed the Paralegal pathway or those that have completed CILEx Level 3 qualifications. The scheme qualifies participants to work as chartered legal executives and provides exemptions from some units of the Solicitor Apprenticeship pathway.
• The Solicitor Apprenticeship is a six-year, Level 7 programme aimed at post A-level students, paralegals and chartered legal executives. The period of study is reduced for those who progress from other legal apprenticeships. The scheme covers all the content in a law degree and enables apprentices to gain a law degree and LLM (Masters). Once you’ve completed the apprenticeship and passed the new, centralised Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) assessment you’ll qualify as solicitor. In order to qualify as a solicitor apprentices will sit parts one and two of the SQE. Stage one will form part of the on-programme assessment, while stage 2 will be the end-point assessment, which must be taken during the last six months of your apprenticeship.

Guide to a Career in Law 2021/22

Explore the different routes to a successful career in law with this digital-only magazineVisit

Which firms offer apprenticeships?

• Addleshaw Goddard
• Ashfords
• Bevan Brittan LLP
• Blacks Solicitors
• Bott & Co
• Browne Jacobson
• Burges Salmon
• Charles Russell Speechlys
• Clyde & Co
• CMS
• DAC Beachcroft
• Dentons
• DWF
• Eversheds Sutherland
• Fletchers Solicitors
• Freeths
• Gordons
• Gowling WLG
• Hill Dickinson
• Horwich Farrelly
• Irwin Mitchell
• Kennedys
• Keoghs
• Mayer Brown
• Michelmores
• Minster Law
• Osborne Clarke
• Pinsent Masons
• Plexus Law
• RPC
• SAS Daniels
• Stephensons
• TLT LLP
• WithersWorldwide
• Womble Bond Dickinson

This is not an exhaustive list, instead it’s a sample of firms that run apprenticeship schemes. Please be aware that vacancies are not always available year round. To find out whether an organisation you’re interested in offers apprenticeships and is recruiting search their website. Learn more about top UK law firms.

Who are they aimed at?

The majority of law apprenticeships are aimed at school leavers or career changers seeking an alternative to university. However, some legal apprenticeships require you to have more than GCSEs or A-levels.

For example, the Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship isn’t recommended for school leavers; instead you’ll need to have completed the Paralegal pathway or have completed CILEx Level 3 qualifications in legal services.

Individual law firms set their own entry requirements but the government’s recommended minimum requirements for the majority of legal schemes are:

• five GCSEs, including mathematics and English – grade C or above (or equivalent)
• three A-levels (or equivalent) – minimum grade C.

and/or

• relevant employer-led work experience
• Level 3 advanced apprenticeship in a relevant role – business administration, legal services, providing financial services
• Level 4 higher apprenticeship in a relevant job – legal services, professional services, and providing financial services (may be entitled to exemptions from training
• paralegal apprenticeship (may be entitled to exemptions from training)
• legal executive apprenticeship (may be entitled to exemptions from training)
• law degree/Graduate Diploma in Law/Legal Practice Course (entitled to exemptions from training).

Research your chosen apprenticeship pathway carefully and contact potential employers to check that you have the qualifications to gain a place on the scheme.

What do law apprenticeships involve?

This largely depends on which apprenticeship pathway you take. The majority of schemes enable you to carry out paid employment in a law firm or an in-house legal team while gaining professional qualifications. You’ll typically work 30 hours per week under the supervision of a mentor.

Those training for the Level 3 Intermediate Apprenticeship in Legal Administration will study a number of mandatory and optional units, alongside carrying out duties outlined by their employer. Units include:

• communication in the business environment
• proofreading in the legal environment
• working in the legal environment
• legal text processing
• taking minutes in meetings
• providing reception services
• family law
• principles of criminal liability and conveyancing.

If you take the Paralegal Apprenticeship you’ll carry out tasks such as managing data and records, drafting legal documents and client correspondence, carrying out legal research, attending court hearings where appropriate, handling sensitive information and communicating with internal and external clients.

Those completing the Solicitor Apprenticeship will manage cases of their own. You’ll research cases, interview and advise clients, establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and colleagues, daft legal documents, undertake spoken and written advocacy, negotiate solutions, manage and progress legal matters and transactions, and keep and maintain accurate records.

graduate solicitor apprenticeship

More details coming up on graduate solicitor apprenticeship, law office study program losp, and how to find a law apprenticeship.

There are many different ways to become a solicitor. You can study for a degree, complete a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), or even gain experience as an apprentice.

A graduate solicitor apprenticeship is one pathway to qualify by completing the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE1 and SQE2). This means that you can join a firm with a degree or approved equivalent.

The advantages of a graduate solicitor apprenticeship include:

• An established track record of success; graduates who have completed an apprenticeship have been shown to have higher pass rates in their exams than those who have studied on GDL courses.
• The chance to get started right away; apprenticeships take just 12 months and you will be working full time at an employer firm before you know it!
• The opportunity to earn while you learn; as well as on-the-job training and mentoring, there are opportunities for paid work experience throughout your apprenticeship year.

law office study program losp

California’s Law Office Study Program

MICHAEL EHLINE joined the U.S. Marine Cops out of high school and has no college degree. After his military service, he started a construction business and ran a health club until he heard of the Law Office Study Program. Today, he has a personal injury practice specializing in cruise ship catastrophes and road vehicle mishaps.

“I began faxing, emailing, cold-calling attorneys to ask for sponsorship in exchange for work,” he recalls. He ended up studying with four sponsors in four years, each specializing in a different practice area: personal injury, criminal defense, litigation, and criminal prosecution. Ehline thinks these lawyers agreed to mentor him because they saw his tenacity and fed off his energy. “They’re all my dearest friends today, part of my extended family.”

But the going was rough; Ehline had a family to support in his last two years of LOSP. “Money was tight,” he recalls. “I was working at Home Depot for ten bucks an hour, on night shifts at times, living like a pauper for a while.” He took jobs as a law clerk and paralegal as well. He also began attending night classes at the University of West Los Angels Law School because he wanted “the law school experience after passing the baby bar.” He passed both the baby bar and the regular bar after two attempts, getting his law license in 2005 while still in his third year at UWLA.

“How cool was that?” Ehline says proudly. “I was the big man on campus, getting a law degree while already practicing as a lawyer.” He thinks he immediately got a lot of business after passing the bar because people respected his achievement. He advises taking tutorials in preparing for bar exams – he swears by Paul Pfau review courses – and capitalizing on knowledge acquired by working as a clerk or paralegal.

Meet Michael Ehline

California’s Law Office Study Program (LOSP) is grounded in State Bar rule 4.29 (www.rules.calbar.ca.gov). The requirements are uncomplicated, and the State Bar admissions office mainly serves as a registrar. The bar doesn’t supervise apprentices – that’s the task of their sponsors, who must be either a judge or an attorney and must have at least five years of good standing with the bar. The State Bar doesn’t even evaluate the curriculum that the sponsor and the student design. Sponsors may not claim MCLE credit for their mentoring. Here are the basics:

LOSP students must find a sponsor, pay a $40 fee and submit a Notice of intent to Study Law in a Law Office or Judge’s Chamber to the bar’s Office of Admissions.

Simply working for the sponsor won’t do. Law readers must actually follow a self-designed study course under the sponsor’s supervision for at least 18 hours a week, for four years over 48 consecutive weeks a year.

The sponsor must give a written examination once a month and submit a semiannual report to the bar, along with a $30 fee, and the questions and answers of the monthly test.

After the first year participants must pass the “baby bar,” or the California First Year Law Students’ Examination, give in June and October. Those who pass it within three attempts get credit for all study up to that point. If it takes more tries, they earn credit for only one year of study.

Students must pass the Multistate Professsional Responsibility Exam. It’s give three times a year and can be taken any time after the first year of study.

Four years of law office study qualifies participants to sit for the California Bar Examination, which is given in July and February.

This article is a reprint from the California Lawyer, June 2011 edition. Paul Pfau’s expertise to help people to successfully pass the bar exam includes those who have never gone to law school but qualified to take the exam through the much more rare law office program approach.

how to find a law apprenticeship

How to find a legal apprenticeship

FEB 10, 2018

WRITTEN BY BECKY KELLS, EDITOR, ALLABOUTLAW

So you’ve decided you like the idea of a salary, on the job training and study that makes up a legal apprenticeship package? Great! Starting the search for your legal apprenticeship can be daunting. It helps to know what types of apprenticeship the legal sector has to offer.

If you’re thinking of training to be a Paralegal, a Solicitor or a Chartered Legal Executive, then you’re in luck – there are apprenticeships tailored to these roles.

When are legal apprenticeships advertised?

A number of legal apprenticeships are advertised at the same time every year, to coincide with the end of school and college. It’s a good idea to start looking as summer approaches, and to make a note of any application deadlines.

Some companies will recruit apprentices on an ongoing basis, so you can apply at any time.

Where can I find a legal apprenticeship?

First of all, you can check for all legal vacancies – including apprenticeships – here on the AllAboutLaw website. It’s also worth taking a look at our sister site, AllAboutSchoolLeavers.co.uk – as well as law apprenticeship vacancies, they have a wealth of information about applying for apprenticeships in general.

Vacancy adverts will state the length of the apprenticeship, the location, and the salary on offer. Once you’ve found a number of vacancies in your chosen area of law, you can compare and contrast these details to figure out which apprenticeships are best suited to you.

There will also be information about what to expect from the firm, what kind of work you’ll be involved with and the qualification you’ll study for while you’re working there.

Researching your law firm

Once you’ve decided on an apprenticeship to apply for, you should do some additional research on the law firm’s website. Legal apprenticeships are competitive, so a tailored, specific application will help you to stand out from other candidates.

The Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE1 and SQE2) are the gateway to becoming a solicitor.

When you pass these exams, you’ll be able to join a firm with a degree or approved equivalent.

We provide training for all the modules that make up these exams so that you have everything you need to succeed.

Apprenticeship programs are an ideal option for those who want to become a lawyer but don’t have much experience under their belts. These programs allow you to gain some hands-on experience while earning a degree and learning about what it takes to become a lawyer. You’ll be able to learn from professionals who have been practicing in their field for years, giving them insight into what it really means to work as an attorney.