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Burges Salmon celebrates 10 years of pioneering legal apprenticeships

Picture of Roger Bull
By Roger Bull
11 Sep 2026 3 min read

We are celebrating 10 years of our Legal Apprenticeship programme, marking a decade of helping shape new pathways into the legal profession and supporting aspiring lawyers to build successful careers through alternative routes to qualification.

We welcomed our first legal apprentices in 2016, at a time when legal apprenticeships were a new and largely untested route into the profession. Burges Salmon was among the first law firms to embrace the model and played an active role in developing the original apprenticeship standards that have helped widen access to the profession and create new opportunities for aspiring lawyers.

Over the last decade, the programme has become a cornerstone of the firm’s early careers offering. Today, we have 26 legal apprentices across the business, have seen eight apprentices qualify as solicitors and achieved a 100% retention rate amongst those on the programme to date. Burges Salmon was also the first law firm in Bristol to introduce a Legal Apprenticeship Vacation Scheme.

To mark the milestone, we brought together current and former apprentices, colleagues, clients, learning partners and representatives from across the legal sector for a special anniversary event at our Bristol headquarters on Thursday 10 September 2026. The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the success of the programme over the last 10 years, celebrate the achievements of apprentices past and present, and recognise the people who have helped shape its progress.

“When we launched our Legal Apprenticeship programme in 2016, we believed there should be more than one route into a successful legal career. Ten years on, we’ve seen that belief become a reality.

We have seen talented individuals join us straight from school, develop their skills while working and studying, qualify as solicitors and go on to build successful careers with the firm. Their achievements demonstrate the value of creating alternative pathways into the profession and investing in talent from a wide range of backgrounds.

We are incredibly proud of what our apprentices have accomplished over the last decade and of the role the programme has played in widening access to the legal profession. As we welcome our 2026 cohort, we remain committed to developing exceptional talent and supporting the continued growth of legal apprenticeships across the sector.”

Roger Bull, Managing Partner

Several members of the firm’s earliest apprentice cohorts have gone on to qualify as solicitors and continue their careers at Burges Salmon, reflecting the long-term success of the programme and the contribution apprentices have made to our culture, people and client service.

The milestone coincides with the arrival of the firm’s newest legal apprentice cohort and follows the launch of a dedicated online hub showcasing the stories, reflections and experiences of apprentices, alumni and colleagues who have helped shape the programme over the last decade.

As we look ahead to the next decade, the firm remains committed to broadening access to the profession, supporting social mobility and developing the next generation of legal talent through multiple routes into a successful legal career.

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