A&O Shearman Solicitor Apprenticeship, London, Level 7 2027

Applications open 1 December 2026 and close 17 February 2027. Pays £32,000 a year in London.

NoSolicitor Apprenticeship, London, Level 7 (LLB Hons Law and Legal Practice plus SQE)

Sponsors grads?: No
Pay vs threshold: Not published
Opportunity: apprenticeship
Pay: £32,000 in year one, increasing every year
2027 cycle: Applications open 1 December 2026 and close 17 February 2027
Confidence: high

A&O Shearman Solicitor Apprenticeship, London, Level 7: at a glance

A&O Shearman's London Solicitor Apprenticeship is a six year programme for school leavers combining work at the firm with study. Apprentices spend one day a week at BPP University in years 1 to 5, working towards an LLB (Hons) Law and Legal Practice and a Solicitor Level 7 apprenticeship, with tuition fees covered. They rotate departments once a year across Finance, Corporate, ENRI (Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure) and Disputes, with the chance of a secondment. Applications open on 1 December 2026 and close on 17 February 2027. Source

Duration: Six years“become first-class lawyers over a six-year programme”Source
Start date: August or September 2027 (exact date to be confirmed)Source
Who can apply: Year 13 students or school leavers without a university degree“Applicants must be in either year 13 or a school leaver without a university degree.”Source
Locations: LondonSource
Starting pay: GBP32,000 in the first year, plus a GBP3,000 sign-on bonusSource
Degree requirement: Minimum AAB at A level or equivalent, and seven GCSEs at grade 6 or above including Maths and EnglishSource

How A&O Shearman recruits

Solicitor Apprenticeship 2027 (applications 1 December 2026 to 17 February 2027). 6 stages, from A&O Shearman's own careers pages, checked 2026-10-03. Test providers are named only where A&O Shearman names them.

Online application
Application form
Online application with education and work experience (not necessarily legal).
“You will need to submit an online application which details your education history and work experience. This does not need to be legal experience.”
Source
Online interactive assessment
Situational judgement test
Online interactive assessment: situational judgement and verbal and numerical reasoning, done before the deadline.
“Once you have completed the written application form, you will be prompted to complete an online interactive assessment, which includes situational judgement questions, verbal and numerical reasoning items and a short motivation question to complete via video.”
Source
3
Video motivation question
Recorded video interview
One recorded video motivation question: unlimited preparation, 2-minute answer.
- 1 questions
- up to 2 minutes per answer
“For the video response you will have unlimited time to prepare but your response time will be limited to two minutes.”
Source How to prepare for a one-way video interview
Discovery and assessment experience
Assessment centre
Two-day event: day 1 learning about the firm, day 2 two interviews.
“Successful candidates will be invited to attend our two-day solicitor apprentice discovery and assessment experience.”
Source
Case study interview
Case study
Review documents, then discuss the key points.
“On Day 2 you will attend two interviews. The first interview will be a case study. You will be asked to review some documents, which will be followed by a discussion of the key points.”
Source
Scenario-based interview
Final interview
Questions on situations an apprentice may face.
“In the second interview, you will be asked a series of questions based on scenarios you may encounter as a solicitor apprentice.”
Source

Every programme and stage at A&O Shearman

“Please note, due to funding requirements, all candidates must fulfil the criteria associated with the Level 7 apprenticeship levy, including living in the UK for the last three years and having the right to permanently live and work in the UK for the full duration of the apprenticeship.”

A&O Shearman, from its own careers pages

The catch: The right-to-work requirement is for permanent status covering the whole six-year programme, not just a visa valid at the point of application, so a time-limited visa that would expire partway through the apprenticeship would not meet the bar even if it covers three years of past UK residence.

A&O Shearman early careers Verify on gov.uk

Applying to A&O Shearman? Check your CV first.

Most graduate applications are filtered by an ATS before a human ever sees them. GoRizzume Pro scores your CV against the job description and shows you what to fix.

Try Pro free for 7 days

£0 today, then Pro is £14.99/month from day 8Card needed.We email you the day before you pay.Cancel anytime in Settings, Billing.

What A&O Shearman publishes about this programme

Checked against A&O Shearman's own careers pages on 2026-10-01. Anything not published is worth asking the early careers team before you apply.

Visa sponsorship policy: published
Application dates: published
Programme description: published
Duration and start date: published
Who can apply: published
Pay: published
Locations: published
Degree requirement: published
Recruitment stages: published

More early careers programmes at A&O Shearman

Training Contracttraining contract, no published policy
Summer Vacation Schemevacation scheme, no published policy
First-Year Programme, Londonspring week, no published policy

Sources

https://careers.aoshearman.com/en/london-solicitor-apprenticeships

Verdict last checked 2026-09-22. Application dates last checked 2026-10-01. How we check programme verdicts

Common questions

Does A&O Shearman sponsor visas for its solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7?

No. A&O Shearman does not sponsor its solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7 for international students who need a visa. A&O Shearman states plainly that because of Level 7 apprenticeship levy funding requirements, all candidates must have lived in the UK for the last three years and have the right to permanently live and work in the UK for the full duration of the six-year apprenticeship. The programme pays £32,000 in year one, rising annually, covers BPP University tuition in full, and leads to an LLB Hons Law and Legal Practice degree plus SQE qualification. It requires a minimum of AAB at A level (or equivalent) and seven GCSEs at grade 6 or above including Maths and English, and is open to Year 13 students or school leavers.

What is the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7?

Does the pay clear the UK Skilled Worker salary threshold?

The pay for this scheme is not published clearly enough to judge against the threshold.

What is the catch international students miss with A&O Shearman?

The right-to-work requirement is for permanent status covering the whole six-year programme, not just a visa valid at the point of application, so a time-limited visa that would expire partway through the apprenticeship would not meet the bar even if it covers three years of past UK residence.

When do applications open for the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7?

Applications open 1 December 2026 and close 17 February 2027. Checked on 2026-10-01 against A&O Shearman's own site.

How long is the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7?

Six years, according to A&O Shearman's own careers information.

When does the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7 start?

August or September 2027 (exact date to be confirmed), according to A&O Shearman's own careers information.

Who can apply for the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7?

Year 13 students or school leavers without a university degree, according to A&O Shearman's own careers information.

Where is the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7 based?

London, according to A&O Shearman's own careers information.

What does the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7 pay?

GBP32,000 in the first year, plus a GBP3,000 sign-on bonus, according to A&O Shearman's own careers information.

What degree do you need for the A&O Shearman solicitor apprenticeship, london, level 7?

Minimum AAB at A level or equivalent, and seven GCSEs at grade 6 or above including Maths and English, according to A&O Shearman's own careers information.

How should I confirm A&O Shearman's sponsorship before applying?

Read the specific vacancy on A&O Shearman's careers site, ask its early-careers team directly, and check the employer on the gov.uk Register of Licensed Sponsors. Policies and thresholds change, so treat this page as a starting point and confirm for the exact role and cycle.

Related guides

All visa and sponsorship guides

Other law schemes

Before you apply

Check your CV against UK applicant tracking systems, then tailor it to the schemes that can actually sponsor you. GoRizzume Pro and Premium start with a 7-day free trial on monthly billing.