Deloitte Legal to recruit trainee lawyers for first time as Big Four continue legal expansion
Deloitte Legal will offer training contracts to aspiring lawyers for the first time from today, as the Big Four continue their expansion into the legal sector.
Deloitte launched a UK legal practice in 2018, becoming the last of the Big Four firms to do so.
Today the firm opened applications for up to 10 training contracts for aspiring solicitors to start training from September 2020, qualifying as solicitors in 2023.
Last year, Deloitte Legal hired senior Allen & Overy partner Michael Castle to lead its expansion in the UK.
At the time of his hire Castle said he wanted the firm to become a “significant player” in the UK’s £26bn legal market.
The firm has worked with the University of Law to develop a training programme to prepare students for the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), the incoming reformed solicitor qualification confirmed last year by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
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The new SQE contracts allow law students to take up their places direct from university, allowing them to earn money and gain hands on experience while pursuing their studies.
Under the current scheme, law students have to take a one-year Legal Practice Course before embarking on their training contract.
Castle said: “We want to broaden access to the profession and make it as inclusive as possible. This is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring solicitors to earn while they learn, while also encountering the wealth of expertise beyond legal work that Deloitte Legal can offer as a multidisciplinary firm.
“Deloitte Legal is a fast-growing and ambitious team that provides clients with new solutions to legal problems. Our trainees will be able to experience the future of law, today