Apprenticeships

I didn’t know if I wanted to go to university, but I still wanted to carry on my education and get more qualifications. An apprenticeship seemed the best option as it combined working and learning at the same time. The people I work with are really nice and everyone is really helpful. I feel like I learn so much at work, as well as during my university hours. It is a really good balance. DAC Beachcroft allows me to have one day off a week to do my studying, which is great and it is really easy to keep on top of everything. Also, as I work with lots of people who already have degrees, they are able to advise me if I ever have any questions about anything I have learnt. The culture at DACB is very warm and welcoming. My team were very helpful and patient with me when I first started. Even though I am confident in the type of work I do now, my team are still really supportive and are happy to answer any questions I may have."

I qualified with DAC Beachcroft LLP in September 2019 having completed my training contract in the Manchester office. During my training, I gained practical experience in a number of different areas of law including Corporate and Commercial, Real Estate and Employment. The opportunity to move around the business helped me to gain a greater understanding of the firm as a whole. In my new role, I continue to be supported to take on a varied and challenging workload and I also have the opportunity to work with a wide range of high profile clients. I particularly like the culture of the firm; people are approachable at all levels and there are many different initiatives to get involved in outside of my day-to-day role which I find incredibly rewarding.”

I was referred to DACB by the Social Mobility Foundation (“SMF”). I decided to apply for a training contract because of their partnership with the SMF and because of the broad range of sectors DACB specialises in. This was important as I knew I was interested in commercial law but I am, still to this day, unsure of what area of law I will qualify into – I wanted a firm which would allow me to experience many areas during my training. Moreover, I felt like diversity was fast becoming a buzzword rather than a reality in some firms. Throughout the application process it was impressive to see that DACB genuinely had a commitment to social mobility. The culture at the firm is extremely welcoming, supportive and embraces people from all backgrounds. Diversity is key to getting different perspectives and ideas and DACB’s work with organisations such as the SMF and Aspiring Solicitors demonstrates the firm's determination to appeal to and welcome into the business people with a broad range of backgrounds as the firm grows in the UK and internationally.’’

After joining DACB as an 18 year old with no prior experience of full time work, I can definitely say that in the past 6 years, I have climbed up a very steep learning curve. Navigating an apprenticeship can be a daunting task, but in my case, it has provided me with a unique opportunity for growth and development. Throughout the course of my apprenticeship, I have been lucky to learn from industry leading professionals and have gained invaluable life skills as a result. To name a few, my apprenticeship has developed my ability to problem solve, honed my ability to manage time effectively and perhaps most importantly, it has taught me how to learn from my failures.@

I chose an apprenticeship as I have always been an active learner, who is much more engaged and pro-active when completing a task whilst learning about it. I was certain I did not want to go to university and be overwhelmed with just study for a further few years following my a-levels and therefore after some research decided to take the apprenticeship route."

A typical day for me involves utilising the flexible working benefits of working at DACB. We can start the day anytime between 8-10am which allows me to fit studying into my working day when it works for me whether this be during the morning before work; finishing work at 4 and studying after work or fitting studying into my lunchbreak. The flexibility allowed with this is one of the key benefits which has enabled me to pass my exams up to this point. I have a case load of around 50 cases which I handle independently with supervision. This allows me to learn the processes necessary to work as an effective team member but also provides support to build up my confidence as I learn."

I was initially a little bit dubious about how beneficial an apprentice might actually be but I was wrong to hold such a view. The apprentice we had into our team contributed massively in terms of effort, ideas and development. They worked hard and helped deliver a number of projects – some of which had simply stalled due to lack of resource. They became a hugely beneficial part of the team and the more we invested in them as a team, the better they performed."