Trainee solicitor programme

Your training contract begins with a comprehensive induction programme,  designed to set you up for success when you start your first seat.

The induction sessions are also a great chance to meet people across the firm and get to know your trainee cohort.

During your induction you will get the chance to meet our charity committee and find out about our EDI and wellbeing initiatives (and how to get involved). You will also meet our professional support lawyers, our talent development team and have breakfast with your first seat supervisor. There will also be an IT induction and guidance on our systems and time recording.

Our training contract is two years in duration and we expect commitment to the full two year programme even if you have “time to count” under the LPC route or previous Qualifying Work Experience under the SQE route.

We find trainees really value the breadth of experience they obtain over that time, and the training and development provided during that time allows you to be set up for success on starting newly qualified roles.

Trainees start in September. You’ll experience four different seats over the course of your contract. There are a number of seats to choose from across real estate, corporate and private client, based across our three offices. You will get a chance to express your seat preferences and will do our best to arrange seats in your preferred areas, although this cannot always be guaranteed.

From the off, you’ll be working on ‘live files’ and have direct contact with clients and other professionals. The working environment is very supportive, with regular supervision check-ins, formal and informal training whilst also empowering you to use your initiative.

Investment in your development is a key component of our training contract. All our trainees are invited to take part in our Future Lawyers Programme. This programme of training events has been devised to provide you with all the skills you need to be a well-rounded, and successful lawyer. The programme includes sessions on traditional soft skills such as presentation skills and time management but also includes sessions on topics relevant to ‘modern’ lawyers such as design thinking and innovation.

You will also receive first class technical training from our team of professional support lawyers who provide in depth subject matter sessions at the start of each seat. The majority of your training, however, will be ‘on the job’ with your supervisor’s help. You’ll be given a checklist for each seat to make sure you cover the necessary content and have monthly meetings with your supervisor to assess progress. At the end of each seat we will review your performance and give you constructive, honest feedback, with the focus on identifying your development needs.

Aside from the formal training, you will also be encouraged to take the lead in organising firm wide and charitable activities, and to get involved in our numerous sports and social groups.

Unless you have already passed the SQE, successful candidates will join BPP’s SQE preparation courses in readiness to sit SQE1 in January and SQE2 in April or July. These courses comprise a 15 week SQE1 preparation course and an SQE2 Coaching course which takes about 6 weeks.

You will also attend BPP’s new Essentials for Practice Course. This is a 15 week course which builds upon and develops the specialist knowledge and skills needed beyond the basic SQE curriculum. Successful completion of this course leads to a Postgraduate Certificate in Legal Practice, and combined with the earlier SQE1 preparation course leads to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

During the Essentials for Practice course you will study four knowledge streams such as Advanced Commercial Property and Commercial Dispute Resolution. You will also study a module called Business in Law. This module is designed to develop the wider knowledge and skills you need to be a successful lawyer, as well as your understanding of the role of technology in the delivery of legal services.

The firm will support one resit of SQE1 where a candidate fails FLK1 and/or FLK2 as long as the mark does not fall within Quintile 5.

The firm will support one resit of SQE2 as long as the mark does not fall within Quintile 5.

Where a resit is agreed, the firm will pay the cost of the resit and the training contract will normally be deferred to an alternative date to allow the candidate to resit the assessment and obtain their results.

Our training contract offers will continue to be conditional on a first time pass on the SQE but this is subject to the resit policy referred to above.

Not at all! We welcome applications from both law and non-law students and graduates. Our cohorts join us with a variety of experience, having studied a range of different subjects. If you have not studied law, and are made a training contract offer, we will ask you to study the PDGL (the course replacing the GDL) before beginning your SQE studies. This will allow you to develop your legal knowledge and key professional capabilities as well providing you with important foundational elements for your SQE1 assessment.

We no longer offer sponsorship for candidates who wish to study the LPC. However, if you have already completed and passed the LPC, please feel free to apply in this recruitment round. We will require successful applicants already holding the LPC to sit SQE2 before commencing their training contract.

We cannot reimburse the cost of your LPC should we offer you a training contract.

We run our recruitment two years in advance, so our earlier intakes are usually already full. However, should there become spaces available for candidates to join an earlier cohort, we will consider this on a case-by-case basis.

SQE

Cripps will pay 100% of your course costs if you study BPP’s SQE preparation courses (including the Essentials for Practice course). We will also pay the SRA candidate fee for one attempt at SQE1 and SQE2.

PGDL

Where needed, we will pay 100% of the course costs of BPP’s Law Foundations Course (PGDL). We cannot fund the cost of a law conversion course delivered by any other training provider.

LPC

We no longer fund the cost of the LPC. However, candidates who have already completed and passed the LPC are free to apply and Cripps will sponsor the costs of sitting SQE2.

Training costs already paid

Unfortunately, Cripps are unable to reimburse any training costs already paid to BPP or any other training provider.

Trainees also receive a comprehensive benefits package from their first day of employment, including a salary adjustment while undertaking any London based seat as well as the associated travel costs to London. Salaries are benchmarked regularly against the market and are reviewed in May each year.