Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist - (2-Year Fixed-Term Apprenticeship) in Manchester

As an Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist, you will be part of the Freshfields Hub team in Manchester. This team is made up of Legal Solutions Specialists, Legal Solutions Managers, Data Analysts and Hub Associates. There will be exposure to a wide variety of transactions and legal areas throughout your apprenticeship. Opportunities may also develop for short term secondments within the Global Centre. You will be supervised by our Operations Manager and work as part of a supported and motivated team.

You will be involved in the following areas:

• Working as part of the Hub team to provide varied legal services to global fee earners;
• Undertaking regular training across multiple areas of legal services and solutions;
• Developing skills with artificial intelligence, legal technology, data handling and data processing;
• Developing written and oral communication skills with a variety of stakeholders across the business;
• Assisting with continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities and deliverables

The Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist will contribute to an inclusive working environment where all colleagues are treated with fairness and respect, applying the ‘Being Freshfields’ principles at all times. The Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist will contribute to the Hub’s culture of quality, striving for excellence in standard of output and being a positive role model within the team. The Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist will work as part of a team carrying out a range of tasks to support our global client needs. Core operational tasks to support client mandates include, but are not limited to:

• Due Diligence contract reviews;
• Document review for an investigation or at the disclosure stage of a litigation;
• Document cross-checking, making document amendments;
• Proofreading of documents including contracts, agreements and transcripts;
• Document collation, version control and document review;
• Database entry/coding, database searching and database maintenance;
• Hard copy document management;
• Legal research (manual or electronic);
• Creating and populating tables, schedules and agendas.

Bundle preparation (e.g. witness bundles and trial bundles) includes document searches to identify which documents are to be included in a bundle, bulk printing, arranging photocopying, copy-checking, indexing, file preparation and collation. If documents are stored electronically, it may also include database tagging and/or searching; this work will be carried out following established processes and using workflow and work allocation systems as required. The Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist will maintain a daily log of all activity and a record of time spent. They will establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of Freshfields staff. They will identify and escalate issues in a timely and effective manner.

The Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist will be expected to take an active role in their apprenticeship development by building a strong understanding of the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) that underpin the academic programme and recognising how these relate to their day‑to‑day responsibilities. With the support of the Operations Manager, they will proactively identify opportunities to apply academic learning in the workplace, reflect on practical experiences to strengthen their understanding, and gather evidence of competence to support the successful completion of the apprenticeship and achievement of programme outcomes. The Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist will be expected to be proactive in the acquisition of skills using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and in the use of AI wherever reasonable and approved in their work. Alongside their study days, the Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist will be required to be present in the Manchester office for at least two days each week and as required by the firm. Other tasks that are legal and reasonable as required.

Key requirements

Desired skills

• High standard of numeracy and literacy;
• Good working knowledge of using Microsoft office packages in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
• Good written and oral communication skills.

Personal qualities

• A keen interest in law;
• Excellent attention to detail;
• Ability to prioritise tasks;
• A desire to learn and develop;
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team;
• A strong work ethic;
• A commitment to achieving professional standards of conduct;
• Logical thinking.

Desired qualifications

• Five GCSEs with grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English language and maths;
• Plus 96 UCAS points at A level (CCC) or an equivalent UK or international qualification.

Future prospects & things to consider

Freshfields is a supportive employer, and we encourage staff progression and development within the firm as and when suitable opportunities arise. During the apprenticeship you will have the opportunity to undertake a range of legal tasks and it is expected that upon completion of your apprenticeship you will have further opportunities to continue and develop within the Hub. In the past our successful apprentices have taken permanent positions in the Freshfields Hub as Legal Solutions Specialists, which are normally reserved for talented and high‑achieving graduates. The offer of a permanent Legal Solutions Specialist role depends on successful completion of the apprenticeship and the firm being satisfied that its skills and behaviours standards have been met. Apprentice Legal Solutions Specialist undertake a minimum 2 year on the job training programme.

Inclusion

Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered on the basis of their merit alone. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK in the role in question and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing. Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only if and when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case‑by‑case basis and take a number of relevant factors into account (e.g. the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.

Freshfields is a global law firm with a long-standing track record of successfully supporting the world’s leading national and multinational corporations, financial institutions, and governments on ground‑breaking and business critical mandates. At Freshfields we seek to create a better future for our clients, our people and the communities in which we work. Our global teams bring together individuals with different experiences, skills and strengths in a culture where we support all to belong, engage and excel.