Solicitor apprenticeships at Muckle LLP

Did you know you don’t have to go to university to become a lawyer?

Earn and learn

University might not be right for you, but it shouldn’t mean a career in law isn’t.

That’s why we are proud to be offering solicitor apprenticeships as part of the North East Solicitor Apprenticeship (NESA) programme. It’s a six-year programme where you can earn while you learn and achieve an LLB (Hons) in Legal Practice at the same time!

We have been recruiting apprentices since the scheme began in 2017 – and we’re thrilled to be offering the programme again in this year. Successful candidates will start in September 2025, with academic support provided by Northumbria University.

Solicitor apprentices at Muckle LLP:

Earn a £22,932 starting salary.
Gain real-life work experience.
Achieve an LLB (Hons) in Legal Practice.
Pay no university fees.

Our values

Everything we do at Muckle is underpinned by four core values:

trust - we trust each other to do the right thing
teamwork - we are one team and work selflessly for each other
responsibility - we are self-starters and take responsibility for how we work together and communicate
care - we care about our people, clients and community

Our benefits

As a Muckle employee you'll get a host of benefits, including:

27 days holiday (plus additional days for long service) and option to buy/sell up to 5 days pro-rated
up to 2 wellbeing days per annum (pro-rated)
up to 14 hours community hours per annum
interest free travel pass loans
corporate discounts on loads of products and services
pension scheme- we contribute 4% (5% after 6 months and 6% after 8 years, subject to your contributions)

You'll also have a mentor to help you settle in with advice and encouragement every step of the way. And if that's not enough, there are loads of other reasons why working for Muckle is a fantastic experience.

The future’s bright

We invest time and resources in nurturing talented individuals, and we’re always looking to the future.

If you successfully complete your apprenticeship and there's an appropriate role in the firm, you have a very strong chance of a job with us once you're qualified.

What’s apprentice life like?

At Muckle, you’ll be one of us.

We’re genuine people who build strong relationships with our people and clients. We do what we say we’re going to do on time and within budget, with excellence, every time.

There’ll be loads of opportunities to shine. Imagine being the go-to lawyer for Hays Travel or HSBC? Or playing a crucial role in a ground-breaking architectural project? We work with all kinds of companies and you’ll be part of that.

While we understand the importance of hard work, we like to balance it with fun. You could join our running club, the Muckle Choir, and be part of the social events and impromptu nights out people enjoy. Making sure everyone feels rewarded for their hard work is really important to us.

We continually strive to be an employer of choice and as one of the region’s best workplaces, we have very high staff retention levels. We have Investors in People ’Platinum’ status and are ranked 2nd in the world against legal firms of the same size, and ranked 69th for all Investors in People organisations (of which there are over 10,000 globally). 99.2% of our employees said Muckle was a great place to work.

In 2023, we won the Best Place to Work and Business of the Year at the North East Business Awards. We've also won the North East Chamber of Commerce Inspiring Females Award for Most Inspiring Employer two years in a row (2022 and 2023).

We think you’ll like it here!

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for at least:

5 GCSEs or equivalent at grades C/5 or above, including Maths and English
3 A Levels or equivalent at grades B,B,B or above, either predicted or already achieved
Great communication skills and lots of personality and enthusiasm

If you already have a law degree, CILEx Level 6, GDL, LPC or BPTC then you are not eligible for these vacancies.