The Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship partners with employers to provide a structured pathway for apprentices to prepare for and pass SQE1 and SQE2, complete their qualifying work experience (QWE) and build a portfolio of evidence summarising their competencies as a solicitor. At The College of Legal Practice we partner our graduate apprentices with highly experienced coaches, well versed in legal practice. Lisa Morrison acts as one of our coaches alongside her work as a module leader at the College. In this article we discuss her experiences as a coach, and explore what this unique new pathway offers for those considering qualification.
So, tell us a bit about yourself: what is your legal and educational background?
I qualified as a solicitor in 1997 at De Montfort University, after my first degree in Law and Business at the University of Birmingham. It was the first year of the LPC, so I remember well the feeling of being on a brand new route and the nerves that brings. Our tutors had a new system to work with and they were working really hard to ensure they delivered it effectively. I then did a year out, working in the courts, then moved on to training at Howes Percival over in Norwich during which I qualified into my specialism, which is commercial property. I worked in this sector for five years at Eversheds back in Birmingham, then moved over to Land Registry in 2002. I stayed there until 2017, when I became a partner in a Worcester firm. I made the move over to higher education last year as an external supervisor in land and property, then became a module leader on the SQE2 prep course at The College of Legal Practice and a coach on the new graduate solicitor apprenticeship programme.
Why did you decide to become a coach for the apprentices?
As an external supervisor with the College I was really enjoying my work supporting students - so when I was offered the chance to become a module leader and apprentice supervisor it felt like a good opportunity to move into this supportive role.
Before my time with the College I’d had 26 years in private practice, and most solicitors find that when they’ve got 3 or 4 years under their belt, informal mentoring of junior lawyers becomes part of their workload. I’ve supported paralegals and secretaries starting their law degrees, LPC candidates - the list goes on, and this felt like an extension of that informal work. As it’s not been long since I’ve been in private practice, I’ve got that very recent experience of being in a firm that can help when it comes to advising apprentice candidates who are carrying out their QWE. I have insights of what they’ll be doing on the job, which I can apply in my coaching role.
Why is the Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship unique, and why would a prospective student consider this option over the usual SQE route?
There are two prongs as to why the GSA stands out, so it’s worth considering whether these benefits suit your lifestyle. Firstly, the financial benefits of an apprenticeship route are quite unparalleled. While the College offers a substantially good value SQE pep course, this still has a fee attached, as do the exams themselves, and any retakes. With the apprenticeship, these fees are covered by your employer, making it far more accessible for candidates. The fees can also be funded by the Apprenticeship Levy programme for firms too.
The other benefit to the GSA is the clear structure it offers you. The new route to qualification which combines SQE1, SQE2, and QWE is flexible by nature. This has opened up the option to qualify to many more candidates - though some candidates may prefer a more traditional, structured route. I think the GSA bridges that gap between the flexibility of the SQE and the clear pathway of the original LPC and training contracts. If you think you might benefit from that supportive coaching and a very clear, 2 or 3 year pathway (depending on your degree background), it might be something to consider.
All this being said, every route to qualifying has its drawbacks. With the GSA, there is undeniably more work involved than the usual SQE and QWE only routes. Throughout your GSA, in addition to SQE Prep and your day job, you are tasked with creating 9 portfolio assessments to evidence your knowledge and skills. This is more work than the SQE only route - it all depends on what you have capacity for in your lifestyle.
How does the coaching side of the apprenticeship programmes work, and how does it differ to SQE Prep supervision?
The coaching relationship begins with a formal induction which involves the candidate, the employer’s representative (usually a line manager or trainee manager), and The College of Legal Practice. We’ll talk through the course expectations, all the paperwork that is required and how the relationship will work between candidate, employer and the College.
Once the induction is complete, coaches will meet the candidate every 6 weeks. On alternate sessions, the employer will also join the conversation to keep that clear link going. The employer usually joins us to be clear on what is expected of the apprentice as well as sometimes offering verbal confirmation that they have met one of our knowledge or skill requirements, where there isn’t any formal documentation that can do so. This is a big difference between SQE supervision and coaching. In the coaching sessions we’re regularly reviewing their practical work and connecting this back in with their employer, as opposed to focusing purely on the theory covered in the SQE.
We work on a cycle of delivering portfolio information at one meeting, the apprentice taking 6 weeks to complete the portfolio, then a further meeting to offer advice, feedback, and our wisdom from our practice, then another 6 weeks to complete the portfolio and submit it for assessment. This cycle keeps accountability on the candidate and the training manager to keep up with assessments. Again, this differs to the SQE supervision process, which tends to act as more of a generalised discussion on progress through the course, catching up with any difficulties and supporting pastorally. With the coaching we have a really clear guideline of what each meeting is for, what is being fed back, and what is being assessed. We also find this coaching system is a good time to offer some pastoral support and raise any workplace concerns for safeguarding measures.
How does the coach work with their employer?
The employer is heavily involved in coaching meetings with the apprentice - it’s very much a three part partnership throughout. Firstly, they are involved in the induction process itself, especially in terms of outlining expectations between each party.
After the initial induction process, the employer joins with apprentice and coach every 12 weeks and participates in the coaching session. They’ll usually provide evidence of progression where it is needed, listen in on the next portfolio that the apprentice is expected to build up, and feed back on how they might support the process.
You are currently in the first year of delivering the GSA (2024-2025 cohort). How are you finding the coaching so far, and what have you noticed about our first round of apprentices?
The programme is new and exciting, and we’re enjoying learning more about how the process runs in actuality as we go. We’re highly experienced legal practitioners, and we’ve had extensive apprentice training to deliver the course, but naturally there will be growth along the way as we take on our very first cohort.
We’re finding that we’ve had the chance to build up a great rapport with our apprentices very quickly, and we’re seeing them get a lot out of this collaborative effort between apprentice, employer and the College. We’re excited to see how things for the remainder of this cohort’s time with us!
Explore our Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship Scheme.