Trainee Solicitor (L7 Graduate Solicitor Apprentice)

Base pay range

Salary: £31,500 – fixed starting salary with incremental rises as apprenticeship progresses

Hybrid working (office based in Birmingham) – Currently 2-3 days in the office per week

Closing Date: 24th October 2025

Your role:

This role will support Wesleyan’s Legal team to provide a broad and varied mix of legal advice across the Wesleyan Group. This is a trainee solicitor role which will form part of a Level 7 Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship (which dependent on qualifications is expected to last 30 months).

Alongside the training elements which will be provided by an external third party, legal experience will be provided by Wesleyan across a range of legal disciplines to meet the competences required by the SRA and to support preparation for the Solicitor Qualifying Exams.

The main area of legal activity will be the drafting, reviewing and negotiating of commercial contracts. In addition, the role will provide opportunity to deliver commercial legal advice relating to data protection, intellectual property, dispute resolution and project work. The role will also provide opportunity to work with subsidiaries within the Wesleyan Group with exposure to consumer and regulatory work.

Qualifications

• Five (5) GCSEs between A* – C (9 – 4) including English and Maths
• A qualifying law degree with a minimum 2:2, or
• A non-law degree minimum 2:2 and a pass on a GDL, PGDL, CPE, or equivalent qualifications

Please note that due to this being an apprenticeship, Wesleyan will be required to verify what topics have been covered as part of the individual’s degree to ensure the individual can undertake the apprenticeship.

Exclusions / Ineligibility

You will not be eligible for this apprenticeship if you have:

• Completed the LPC and/or SQE (either 1 or 2);
• Hold a law degree that was completed more than five years ago;
• Hold a non‑english law degree or other international degree;
• Hold a CILEx Level 6 qualification.

What you’ll be doing:

• Reviewing, drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, including IT, professional services, outsourcing and a wide range of procurement contracts
• Reviewing and drafting agreements to be compliant with applicable financial services regulations
• Providing competent, clear, efficient and pragmatic legal advice to colleagues at all levels of seniority
• Representing the Legal team at Wesleyan meetings and on Project related work
• Working with Wesleyan’s contract database to facilitate contract approvals and contributing to the management of the Wesleyan’s contracts
• Working with all members of the Legal team to enable the smooth provision of legal advice, including dealing with miscellaneous queries and supporting any required administrative tasks.
• Instruction of external lawyers for legal activity outside the scope of the team (under the supervision of a senior lawyer)
• Fulfilment of all elements of the L7 Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship including self‑study, attendance at training sessions (both remote and in person) and attendance of any required assessments.
• If applicable, a contentious/litigation experience may be available with an external third‑party law firm or similar (this is subject to agreement).

Skills required

• Effective people and communication skills, including relationship building
• Good time management
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to balance and organise priorities including balancing work and self‑study training requirements

Behaviours

• Problem solving
• Ability to work under pressure
• Innovative and creative thinking
• Multi‑tasking
• Influence and persuasion

Other important considerations

The role is based at Wesleyan’s Birmingham head office with time out of the office for training and study with Wesleyan’s chosen third‑party training partner. Some work from home time will be allowable upon agreement. Occasional travel for work requirements may also be necessary, including to London and Oswestry.

Benefits

• Annual performance based bonus – based on a mixture of company and personal performance
• 28 days annual leave (plus 1 additional “culture day” & bank holidays) – increases to 30 days with 5 years’ service
• Company pension scheme – matched plus 2% (up to 10%)
• Free secure underground Birmingham city centre parking (available on weekends for personal use – subject to availability)
• Cashback and discounts on major brands in retail, leisure, health, and wellbeing
• Enhanced maternity & paternity pay
• 2 volunteering days per year

Equal opportunities

Wesleyan are an equal opportunities employer. We know the best teams are made up of inclusive groups of diverse people where everyone’s contribution counts, and we believe everyone has the right to proudly be themselves. We’re building a culture where difference is actively encouraged and simply recruit the best people for the job irrespective of lifestyle, life history and life choices.

Reasonable adjustments

We understand that there are a wide range of reasons that you may require reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process – please let us know in your application how we can best support you.

VISA sponsorship

We are unable to provide VISA sponsorship, and therefore cannot employ anyone who does not have the legal right to live and work in the UK – within our recruitment process you will be asked to provide evidence of your Right to Work.

Advert closing

We typically advertise for two weeks, though we reserve the right to close adverts early if we receive a high volume of applications; we would therefore recommend an early application if you’d like to be considered for our opportunities.

Regulatory requirements

Please note this role is subject to regulatory requirements. As a financial services organisation we are committed to adopting the highest standards and we do this by employing individuals with the appropriate skills, experience and integrity to protect the Wesleyan Group and our customers. Relevant checks and assessments will be carried out during the recruitment process. The nature of the checks will depend on whether the role is subject to the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) or the Insurance Distribution Directive. Please note a criminal record check and credit check will apply and this role is also subject to ongoing checks in line with the Group SMCR Framework (Fit & Proper Policy).