Paralegal Apprentice Review

The paralegal apprenticeship has enabled me to develop multiple new skills and also further develop my existing skills. During the 2 years, there is a huge opportunity for personal growth such as developing skills for public speaking, teamwork, time management, organisation skills and many more. If you are looking to develop key skills required to have a career in law, working at BCLP will give you the exposure to gain these skills.

As a whole I really enjoy the programme and the opportunities it provides me. Already in less than 2 years I have been given the opportunity to visit the London office twice! The programme is full of great opportunities to develop both professionally and personally. It is great having the opportunity to move around different teams and experience different parts of a Law firm.

The programme at BCLP is well structured. Everybody has the same apprentice manager (who is extremely friendly and helpful) who you have regular check-ins and meetings with (probably on average every other week) who you can go to if you are struggling or just simply want a catch up. For the two years, you will sit two 6 month seats and in the final year sit in a seat for 1 year to get a long exposure to a seat. Therefore, the programme is well structured and there is a good exposure to a variety of teams during the 2 years.

The manager of the apprentices is extremely supportive! I myself have a disability and BCLP have been extremely supportive and helpful in both providing support for my needs but also allowing me the time off to attend doctors appointments/treatment. I could not ask for any more support. As for the whole of the apprenticeship throughout the 2 years the support received from the manager is amazing, with regular check-ins and meetings, you never feel alone. Furthermore, the firm as a whole understand we are apprentices and are fully supportive of any questions we may have.

BPP do offer support and again with my disability have made the correct alterations to my support in order to allow me extra time in exams. Sometimes, they can be slow in getting back to emails etc but on a whole I enjoy BPP as a provider. Lectures are well structured and take the same form every week so you know what to expect.

One key thing with BPP is you carry out coursework which enables you to reflect on your work you are doing in the firm and ensuring you are meeting all the correct outcomes. BPP make sure you are meeting these outcomes by having check-ins with yourself and your manager which ultimately ensures you perform better in your role as you are meeting the necessary outcomes.

Our firm offer lots of extra-curricular activities to get involved in. For example, I am a part of the disability group where as a group we raise awareness for disabilities. Our firm also have a football team! There is also opportunities for professional networking events which you can sign up for.

Yes

They support me as both an individual and a professional and having the support for my disability means so much to me as I have experienced in the past not getting the correct support! The firm culture is exactly what I like about this firm and EVERYBODY is friendly and helpful.

Be yourself and don't worry! When applying to the apprenticeship programme it can be a worrying process especially if you have never experienced interviews or assessment centres before. However, my one advice is don't stress as it is all an experience and you have done well to get an interview/assessment centre and just be yourself as that is what BCLP want.