New apprenticeships in law planned for Wales

26 July, 2016

Aspiring lawyers in Wales will soon have a new way to begin their careers as apprenticeships in conveyancing and probate are due to go live in early 2017.

Three qualifications will be on offer.  The first two lead to recognition by the CLC as a Conveyancing Technician or a Probate Technician. It’s a great start to a legal career as well as an excellent way for people with a lot of experience in conveyancing firms, but who are not qualified lawyers or do not want to be, to polish their skills and demonstrate their value to current and potential employers.

The third qualification leads to eligibility to become a Licensed Conveyancer, a fully authorised lawyer regulated by the CLC, the specialist property law regulator, with the same status as a solicitor within their area of specialism. That can be a follow on from becoming a Conveyancing Technician, or apprentices can aim for the higher qualification from the beginning.

Licensed Conveyancers are specialist property lawyers who work in firms with other Licensed Conveyancers, Solicitors and other lawyers or in-house for large organisations and who can set up their own firms if they wish.  Over the past four years, firms regulated by the CLC have quadrupled their turnover, having begun to recover from the last downturn sooner and faster than the rest of the market.

Chief Executive of the CLC Sheila Kumar said: ‘There is strong demand for more qualified Licensed Conveyancers and CLC Probate Practitioners because of the overall strength of the sector we regulate.  These new apprenticeships in Wales are an excellent way to begin a career in law, earning while you learn. The CLC supports Licensed Conveyancers who are finding new ways to meet the expectations of buyers and sellers and provide innovative new services. We expect the Welsh Government will approve them so that the first apprenticeships can begin in March 2017.’