Farrer & Co was an early pioneer of solicitor and marketing apprenticeships. With six graduates from its programme so far and currently supporting six solicitor apprentices across the firm, Matt Baldwin speaks to three current and recent apprentices: solicitor apprentice Amna Mushtaq, CRM & digital assistant Gracie Barham and junior marketing executive Archie Glenister.
Farrer & Co has a near-unique approach to its apprenticeship programme. Its solicitor apprentices spend their first two years in business services, with four six-month seat rotations including marketing and business development. Here, they join the firm’s marketing and business development apprentices who are very quickly thrown in at the deep end.
Within a year of joining the firm, CRM & digital apprentice Gracie Barham was taking over the CRM training programme, solicitor apprentice Amna Mushtaq was leading data and research projects, and marketing communications apprentice Archie Glenister hosting the popular business services annual quiz night. Four years later, he is now hosting the firm’s client-facing quiz night.
The apprenticeship route into law and professional services marketing is a valuable alternative to university, and with good reason.
On leaving sixth form, both Archie and Gracie both knew they wanted to work in marketing. Whilst Archie’s friends headed to university, he explored the apprenticeship route and stumbled across Farrer & Co.
“A friend working as a lawyer at DLA Piper told me that ‘you need to get that job’,” said Archie. “Back then, I knew nothing about the law. Now, everything revolves around law and the legal industry, and I wouldn’t do anything different.”
Gracie’s route to Farrer & Co was similar. “My brother did an apprenticeship, and I liked the idea of earning and learning. I knew I was more analytical and applied for data and CRM marketing apprenticeships. Farrer stood out, and at the interview, I knew I would fit in.”
Amna, when aged just 11, knew that she wanted to be a lawyer. But growing up in a family where nobody had been to university or knew anything about apprenticeships, she took matters into her own hands.
“A law degree is expensive, and I didn’t want that debt. After a lot of research, the solicitor apprenticeship pathway looked perfect for me, so I applied for lots of positions and was thrilled to join Farrer.”
Having spent two years working across the firm’s business services teams, she is now moving into fee earning seats, hoping to qualify as a paralegal in the firm’s enormously respected family team in four years and then qualifying as a solicitor.
“I’ve loved working across the business services teams,” says Amna. “You realise just how much work and effort goes into making a law firm work, and most of it behind the scenes. Even something as small as a LinkedIn post requires planning, thought and creativity.”
The route to Farrer & Co is different for all its apprentices, but the experience, especially in marketing and business, is broadly the same. All are embraced by the firm and are encouraged to contribute from day one.
“Within two months of joining the team I was given my own projects,” explains Archie. “The firm places a lot of trust and faith in you when they believe you are ready.”
“There is a lot of support from the team,” adds Gracie. “The marketing team is always there to help, and I knew that if I was unsure of something or had a problem, I could speak to my line manager.”
It would be easy to assume that the solicitor apprentice experience in the firm’s marketing and business development would be very different. Knowing that Amna would within six months move on to another seat, there might be the temptation to consider Amna an admin resource.
“I was treated just like every other member of the marketing team,” explains Amna. “I was never given a task that others wouldn’t want to do, and nor was it all marketing admin.
“I was quickly given some large and rewarding projects, and always a lot of feedback. It has been the same in all the business services seats.”
Work and study
Naturally, the apprenticeship route requires considerable study, although perhaps more so
for Amna.
Archie studied for the Level 3 advanced, with college online and study periods fitted around his varying workload. “It meant I could write an essay at lunchtime or during the quieter periods,” he said. He then went on to study for the Level 4 diploma after his apprenticeship.
Gracie, who also studied the Level 3 advanced, spent every Friday and Amna every Monday at college, typically online, with assignments completed in their own time.
“Farrer is very generous in its study and exam support,” explains Amna. “In addition to my day at university, I am given time off around exams for revision and study. I’m not expected to answer emails or calls – the firm wants me to succeed as much I do.”
All agree that balancing work and study is a lot easier than had anticipated and should never put off would-be apprentices.
Uniting the three apprentices is their appreciation of the firm’s culture. Farrer & Co’s reputation as a top-tier firm for the world’s super-rich and entrepreneurial businesses is without question. To outsiders, the firm could all too easily be considered aloof, although nothing could be further from the truth.
“The firm is not huge, with around 600 people,” says Archie, “And they really do take an interest in who you are and what you are doing.”
“There is also a dedicated solicitor apprentice partner,” adds Amna, “who is part of our support system. She regularly takes me out to lunch and pops in to see how I’m doing. Other partners and solicitors will often stop to chat in the corridor or at networking events, asking after us and the role we have. They are genuinely interested.”
One highlight for the apprentices is the firm’s annual business services quiz, with Archie acting as quiz master general and Amna leading the legal round.
Archie, perhaps with a flair for the stage, introduced tense music and jeopardy into the evening, which has seen him asked to lead the firm’s client quiz evening in front of a packed house, and with Amna receiving a round of applause following a fiendishly tough legal round. It pushes the apprentices outside of their comfort zones.
“I now have bags of confidence and love my job,” says Gracie. “I feel like I have a right to be in the room.”
Archie agrees. “The culture at the firm is respectful, regardless of your status, area of work or seniority. Everyone is valued and supported.”
“I could never imagine sitting at an event and speaking in front of 500 people,” adds Amna.
“But if you have a passion for something, you work hard to follow that and the apprenticeship route puts you one step ahead.”
Matt Baldwin is the Editor of PM and Joint Managing Director of Coast Communications,
a PR and communications consultancy.
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