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“It’s such an exciting time for Flex Trainee! We're keenly looking for organisations who share our vision.”

Mary Bonsor, Founder

Our vision

Flex Trainee - A new way to grow diverse talent

The Solicitor Qualification Exam (SQE) route was designed to open the legal profession to a wider pool of talent. It represents a great opportunity for organisations to support the next generation of lawyers and improve social mobility in the profession.

Our Flex Trainee programme helps both legal teams and aspiring solicitors make the most of the opportunity. Trainees work in your team for a minimum of 12 months to build Qualifying Work Experience whilst completing the academic component of their qualification.

Choose from three Flex Trainee routes:

  • Take on an apprentice lawyer through Flex Apprentice.
  • Bring in a trainee through the core Flex Trainee route.
  • Or help your own junior team members progress through Flex Talent Development.
Some of our flex trainee clients:
Why

Why Flex Trainee?

A spread of Flex Trainees are seen seated on a flight of stairs. They all look impeccably professional and intelligent.
  • Demonstrate your commitment to social mobility - Flex works with legal charities such as STRIVE and the Social Mobility Business Partnership to attract and identify the best socially mobile aspiring solicitors.
  • Develop your own talent without the risks - you can decide if the opportunity is right for the trainee to continue their development with you at the end of the placement.
  • Reduce the time and effort of trainee supervision - Flex Legal will handle employment matters and provide supervisors with digital QWE recording tools and peer-to-peer support.
  • Empower your trainee to succeed - we'll support your trainee with monthly meetings, mentoring, an empowering peer community, and strong academic preparation with our partners at Barbri.
Options

Three flexible ways to grow talent

Whether you want to nurture a socially mobile apprentice from the start, develop a trainee who has already begun their legal journey, or support one of your own junior team members to take the next step, there is a Flex Trainee route that fits.

Flex Apprentice

Use your Apprenticeship Levy to support law graduates through SQE1 & 2.

Flex Trainee

Bring in a trainee who has already passed SQE1 or the LPC.

Flex Talent Development

Enroll your own aspiring trainee into the Flex Trainee support programme.

Hire

Finding socially mobile aspiring lawyers

A screenshot of the testing process on Flex Trainee

Through a targeted social media strategy, strong relationships with university career departments and societies across the UK, and various social mobility legal charities, we receive hundreds of applications from talented and deserving socially mobile aspiring lawyers.

Flex Legal will work with you to understand your ideal candidate. Each candidate completes our rigorous assessment process, but elements can be modified to suit your bespoke needs:

  • Application Form
  • Online Assessment
  • Interview with Flex Legal
  • Assessment Centre
  • Interview with new legal team

Do you have your own aspiring lawyer in your team you'd like to support through the SQE? No problem! Flex can offer a 'talent development' route. Enroll your aspiring solicitor to the Flex Trainee programme, and we'll support them to complete their SQE/QWE.

Get ready

Preparing for success

Flex Legal's Readiness Programme - speaker from Mishcon de Reya delivering a session on court room etiquette

All of our aspiring lawyers start their Trainee journey by taking part in our intensive Readiness Programme which equips them with the network, practical skills, knowledge and acumen that they need to thrive.

The programme features expert input from highly experienced lawyers working in private practice and in-house, as well as professionals from a range of specific business areas.

The programme enables your trainee to hit the ground running, armed with practical insight into:

  • How to succeed in a professional setting.
  • Maintaining high professional standards, including managing stakeholders and meeting expectations.
  • Core soft skills including confident communication, active listening, and effective presentation.
  • Practical legal skills, such as drafting.
  • Bespoke research tasks to equip them to understand their future organisation and its legal context.
work

Supporting Supervisors and Trainees

Screenshot of Flex Legal's QWE Journal

Flex Legal is dedicated to providing comprehensive support to both you and your trainee, ensuring that your trainee can achieve their full potential, and so your legal team can strengthen its capabilities and develop a valuable pipeline of junior talent.

For Supervisors:

  • Each client has their own Account Manager at Flex Legal who will meet with you each month to review progress.
  • Flex Legal will handle all employment matters, SRA qualification requirements, education and exams, compliance, and on-going training.
  • Flex Legal will provide access to Flex Legal's digital Qualifying Work Experience Journal.