National firm Weightmans has welcomed 13 school leavers on to its first solicitor apprenticeship programme. The fresh-faced recruits will work across the firm’s legal departments while studying for an undergraduate law degree and preparing for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam. The programme will last for six years, meaning the apprentices will be fully qualified by 2027.

The firm also wants to develop commercial and digital skills, and candidates will be offered placements in areas such as finance, HR and marketing, and Weightmans’ ‘innovation department’.

Solicitor apprenticeships are gaining traction under the new qualification regime, with Allen & Overy and Norton Rose Fulbright also recruiting school leavers.