Early talent

An apprenticeship provides me with a good balance of working and studying. I feel like I get a good exposure of different types of work and my study day every Wednesday allows me to complete my university work. I feel very welcome at DAC Beachcroft and my colleagues have been extremely supportive in the transition from Paralegal to Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship.

I was referred to DACB by the Social Mobility Foundation (“SMF”). I decided to apply for a training contract because of their partnership with the SMF and because of the broad range of sectors DACB specialises in. This was important as I knew I was interested in commercial law but I am, still to this day, unsure of what area of law I will qualify into – I wanted a firm which would allow me to experience many areas during my training. Moreover, I felt like diversity was fast becoming a buzzword rather than a reality in some firms. Throughout the application process it was impressive to see that DACB genuinely had a commitment to social mobility. The culture at the firm is extremely welcoming, supportive and embraces people from all backgrounds. Diversity is key to getting different perspectives and ideas and DACB’s work with organisations such as the SMF and Aspiring Solicitors demonstrates the firm's determination to appeal to and welcome into the business people with a broad range of backgrounds as the firm grows in the UK and internationally.’’

After joining DACB as an 18 year old with no prior experience of full time work, I can definitely say that in the past 6 years, I have climbed up a very steep learning curve. Navigating an apprenticeship can be a daunting task, but in my case, it has provided me with a unique opportunity for growth and development. Throughout the course of my apprenticeship, I have been lucky to learn from industry leading professionals and have gained invaluable life skills as a result. To name a few, my apprenticeship has developed my ability to problem solve, honed my ability to manage time effectively and perhaps most importantly, it has taught me how to learn from my failures.

I qualified with DAC Beachcroft LLP in September 2019 having completed my training contract in the Manchester office. During my training, I gained practical experience in a number of different areas of law including Corporate and Commercial, Real Estate and Employment. The opportunity to move around the business helped me to gain a greater understanding of the firm as a whole. In my new role, I continue to be supported to take on a varied and challenging workload and I also have the opportunity to work with a wide range of high profile clients. I particularly like the culture of the firm; people are approachable at all levels and there are many different initiatives to get involved in outside of my day-to-day role which I find incredibly rewarding.”

I was initially a little bit dubious about how beneficial an apprentice might actually be but I was wrong to hold such a view. The apprentice we had into our team contributed massively in terms of effort, ideas and development. They worked hard and helped deliver a number of projects – some of which had simply stalled due to lack of resource. They became a hugely beneficial part of the team and the more we invested in them as a team, the better they performed."