Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship (Public Law & Human Rights) (5920) in Birmingham

We’re a national law firm with a local reach, here for life’s important moments – the ones you plan for and the ones you don’t expect. Our legal experts combine technical excellence with empathy, understanding, and a commitment to always put our clients first.

You’ll feel part of a welcoming, inclusive environment where your individuality matters. We celebrate what makes you unique and support you to thrive. Together, we achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

A Solicitor Apprentice in our Public Law & Human Rights (PLHR) team will support fee‑earners over a six-year period across matters spanning Court of Protection, health & social care, civil liberties and education, including judicial reviews, inquests, serious medical treatment applications, Mental Capacity/Mental Health Act issues and challenges to public authorities. This will include undertaking supervised tasks such as taking new client instructions, gathering evidence, legal research and drafting, preparing bundles and assisting at hearings, with increasing complexity as competence grows.

Clients are primarily vulnerable individuals, families and carers engaging with public bodies (for example local authorities, NHS organisations and the police), including people who are detained or facing deprivation of liberty, and children/young people with special educational needs. The team also provides advice to our personal injury and medical negligence colleagues where cases interface with statutory services and funding.

The Irwin Mitchell Solicitor Apprenticeship is a six year programme. You will gain an LLB (Hons) in Legal Practice from BPP and at the end of the programme you will qualify as a solicitor after achieving the Solicitors Qualifying Exam 1 and 2 qualifications along with 2 years’ qualifying work experience. All of your tuition fees will be paid and best of all, you will earn a salary whilst you are training and gaining your qualification.

The apprenticeship will combine practical work-based learning with formal study. You’ll gain valuable, real-life experience in the UK’s largest full service law firm, enhancing your legal and commercial understanding and growing your confidence in a work environment. It’s the ideal opportunity to benefit from an exciting new world of work and study while avoiding the costs usually associated with undertaking a degree.

As you progress through your apprenticeship, you will build a portfolio of the experience you have gained and the tasks you have completed in the workplace. You will spend the majority of time in your own department with the possibility of also working elsewhere for some of the programme to gain exposure to other parts of Irwin Mitchell. The programme will be tailored to your individual needs and goals for qualification, and your responsibility will increase as appropriate throughout your training.

Throughout the six years you will be working for four days per week and spend one day studying with BPP. We will liaise with BPP throughout the programme to ensure your studying, office role and portfolio commitments are supervised in a co-ordinated and joined up manner.

What are we looking for?

At Irwin Mitchell, we need individuals who can adapt and be resilient to this programme as well as the constant changes across the legal, social and political spheres. We need creative thinkers who can revolutionise the way we work and help Irwin Mitchell meet its future business needs. As well as strong academics and a genuine passion for law, we are looking for someone who embodies our values and wants to make a positive difference to both society and their future careers. You will need excellent communication skills, a good eye for detail and the ability to follow instructions and to enjoy working as part of a team. Due to the nature of interactions and cases you will be working on, you will also need to display empathy and compassion to help guide our clients through challenging personal circumstances.

Strong academic results are required, we are looking for 5 GCSEs at grade 9 – 4 (or equivalent, including maths and English) and 3 A-Levels at grade B or above or equivalent. Experience in a workplace will be an advantage.

This apprenticeship is part of our commitment to being an inclusive employer and giving opportunities to a diverse range of candidates. As such, our solicitor apprenticeship is not open to people with degrees. If you do have a degree and are interested in becoming a solicitor, see our Graduate Recruitment site for more opportunities.

The recruitment process

Stage 1 - Short Form & Online Assessment

The first stage of the recruitment process involves a short online form where you’ll provide your basic personal information. We’ll then invite you to complete a strengths-based assessment which includes video interview questions. This will take approximately two hours. You will receive 7 days to complete the assessment from the date and time you submit your online form. All candidates undertaking the online assessment will receive a feedback report outlining their key strengths.

Stage 2 – Virtual Assessment Centre

If successful at the online assessment stage, we’ll invite you to attend one of our virtual assessment centres. You will be assessed by members of the Early Careers team, Associates and Partners, who have all been through unconscious bias training. Assessment centres will take place in May 2026. The assessment centre comprises the following: An interview.

Successful candidates will begin their six‑year apprenticeship in September 2026 and will join us on a permanent contract from day one. Upon completing the programme, you will qualify as a Solicitor and be fully equipped to continue building your career with us. You are only able to make one application for a Solicitor Apprenticeship vacancy per recruitment round.

Why work with us

We pay our apprentices a starting salary of £24,479 (regional) and £26,936 in London from day one and your salary will be reviewed each year. You will move onto the trainee salary in your final year and then the newly qualified solicitor salary on successful completion of the apprenticeship. 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too. Generous and flexible pension schemes. Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid). Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services. We also offer a wide range of well‑being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported.

Best Workplaces for Wellbeing – Large Organisations 2024. Great Place to Work – 5 years running. Sunday Times Best Place to Work 2025.

A Culture of Inclusion:

Disability Confident Level 3 Leader. Colleague led inclusion networks across the business.

Responsible Business:

Programmes that reflect our purpose and values. Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, existing employees, clients, partners and other stakeholders. Depending on the role you apply for we may carry out checks that will establish your eligibility to work in the UK, and criminal record check and financial checks with a credit reference agency will also be undertaken. The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws. Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer. We’re proud of our values, and we’re looking for people who share them.