Application process

Talented. Skilful.

Application process

Overview

Our application process is refreshingly straightforward: just an online form, including a cover letter and details of your grades and experience. We want to get to know the real you, so focus on sharing your story and your motivation for joining Travers Smith.

Apply online at Travers Smith | Careers for Solicitor Apprenticeships starting from September 2026 based in London. Applications open on Friday 3 October 2025 and close on Wednesday 14 January 2026 (at midday).

Our minimum criteria is AAB at A-level or equivalent and a 7 x 6s at GCSE including English and Maths (or on track for this), however we take into account contextual information and mitigating circumstances.

The contextual information for an application is provided via Rare Recruitments Contextual Recruitment System (or CRS). This CRS highlights candidates to us who have achieved impressive results taking into account certain disadvantages they may have faced. We are keen to consider the potential offered by such candidates so the above academic requirements are a guide only.

Timelines

  • Apply

    October - January

  • Legal High Potential Assessment

    November - February

  • Recruitment Day

    March / April

The Application

This initial stage is where you will be asked to detail your education history and any relevant experience you have, whether paid employment, volunteering or hobbies and interests. We don't require legal work experience, but we do expect you to show a clear interest in becoming a solicitor and in joining Travers Smith.

The Legal High Potential Assessment

After we have screened your application, you will be invited to complete our online Legal High Potential Assessment. This assessment is designed to give us a well-rounded view of the capabilities of our applicants and will include different types of scenario-based numerical and verbal questions, as well as a short video interview.

You are not expected to have any prior legal knowledge or experience for this assessment. It's more about how you can think critically and apply your judgement, intellect and creativity to solve the kind of problems you will experience in your daily life as a solicitor apprentice.

The Recruitment Day

As the final stage in the process, a small number of candidates will be invited to participate in a Solicitor Apprentice Recruitment Day, comprised of a written exercise, a commercial discussion exercise and a face-to-face interview.

All candidates who are invited to our Solicitor Apprentice Recruitment Day will also be offered the chance to attend a pre-assessment workshop where we will provide a detailed overview of what to expect with each assessment, along with tips on how to prepare and do your best on the day.

The Solicitor Apprenticeship

Key dates

BPP University is our course provider.

Salary: £27,000 + £3,000 one-off support payment prior to joining.

One day of study a week and four on-the-job training days per week.

Every year in years 1-4 and every 6 months in years 5-6 you will rotate departments.

Study

You'll spend one day a week studying for your degree-level apprenticeship with BPP Law School, leading to the award of an LLB (Hons) in law as well as the post-graduate level SQE (Solicitors' Qualifying Examination). The course covers the core legal topics which are essential for legal practice, and consists of online live teaching, tutor-led performance coaching, guided self-study, and professional workshops, with regular exam-style assessments and portfolio tasks. You do not need any prior legal learning or qualification. All course fees are covered by Travers Smith.

Support

Throughout your apprenticeship, you will have several sources of academic and pastoral support, working together to help you succeed:

  • BPP provides a specialised skills coach who will meet with you regularly to discuss progress with your studies and offer guidance on getting the best out of the teaching and other resources on offer from BPP.
  • In the workplace, you will have a dedicated supervisor to provide day-to-day guidance on the work allocated to you and help you to develop your legal and commercial knowledge and skills. Our apprentice supervisors will also meet with you and your BPP skills coach to help you navigate the interface between your studies and your workplace learning. We also operate a buddy system to provide you with more junior level advice and support.
  • We will also provide dedicated HR support for apprentices, responsible for all aspects of your time with the firm, including liaising with our Learning & Development team to provide you with ongoing workplace training, as well as helping you with any wellbeing issues.

Overview

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