A decade after legal Level 7 apprenticeships were introduced in England, the Law Society is urging the next Welsh Government to ensure young people in Wales have the same opportunities as their counterparts across the border.
Legal Level 7 apprenticeships are a well-established route to qualification in England, allowing aspiring solicitors to earn while they learn and avoid taking on significant tuition debt.
In Wales, however, young people cannot access this opportunity due to a lack of dedicated Welsh Government funding, the Law Society says. It added that aspiring solicitors in Wales are left with limited options.
Many must either take on substantial financial burdens to qualify or move to England to access an apprenticeship, contributing to the loss of Welsh talent.
Uptake of legal Level 7 apprenticeships in England has grown, with more than 5,000 people starting an apprenticeship between 2018 and 2025.
Research by the Law Society and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David shows that 91% of law students in Wales would have considered a Level 7 apprenticeship had they had the opportunity.
Dr Bronwen Williams, head of Swansea Law School at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and a member of the National Board for Wales, said:
“The absence of this route in Wales is creating a clear talent drain, as capable individuals relocate to England to access opportunities that do not exist at home. This risks leaving Wales behind in legal education provision and undermines efforts to retain and develop Welsh talent within the profession.
“There is strong demand for legal Level 7 apprenticeships in Wales, and many current apprentices and students say they would choose this route if it were available. Rising living costs are also making young people increasingly pragmatic about their career choices, with greater emphasis on routes that allow them to qualify while avoiding significant debt.
“Apprenticeships are critical to promoting social mobility, which remains an essential priority for the legal profession. Despite this, the only fully funded options available in Wales are the Level 3 and Level 5 legal services apprenticeships.”
The lack of funded legal Level 7 apprenticeships in Wales is also worsening recruitment pressures, particularly in rural and Valleys communities, contributing to the growth of legal deserts where access to legal services is severely limited.
Without intervention, North and rural mid Wales are at risk of losing up to 30% of their remaining solicitors by 2030, threatening access to justice for individuals and families across large parts of the country, the Law Society said.
Jonathan Davies, head of Wales at the Law Society, said:
“Our current system, which relies on graduates accumulating significant levels of debt, is unsustainable and excludes talented individuals from lower income backgrounds.
“England has embraced the Level 7 apprenticeship model for a decade, while Wales remains unable to offer the same opportunity due to a lack of funding. Fully funding a legal Level 7 apprenticeship programme would allow Wales to grow its own talent, particularly in rural and high street firms, and help reverse the spread of legal deserts.”
Introducing a full funded legal Level 7 apprenticeship programme is one of the Law Society’s key manifesto asks for the next Welsh Government.
