Graduate Solicitor Programme 2027

EMG Solicitors is an award-winning, Legal 500 law firm with offices across the North but acting nationally. We specialise in:

• Court of Protection Property & Affairs – Professional Deputyship
• Court of Protection Health & Welfare
• Mental Health & Social Care Funding
• Family & Matrimonial
• Family Mediation
• Dispute Resolution – Contentious Probate, Employment, Civil Disputes
• Residential Conveyancing
• Wills, Trusts & Probate
• Education Law

About the Role

As a B Corp organisation with a gold standard ‘Investors in People’ award, we value all our employees and invest in the development of legal talent. As a trainee with EMG Solicitors, you will be given the opportunity to train in four different seats each for a period of 6 months.

During this time, you will have client contact from the start, you will have a designated mentor within the firm, and we will ensure you have the appropriate technical training as well as the opportunity to attend some of the off-job training we offer.

This role can be based in any of our offices in Durham, Gosforth, Penrith, Darlington, Manchester, or Reading and we will expect you to travel and work from other offices from time to time.

This is a full-time role which is 35 hours per week, however, at EMG Solicitors we work flexibly. It’s not a 9-to-5 role, but we do expect the work to be done; when you do it can be largely up to yourself, your Team Leader, and the requirements of your clients.

A brief overview of the role:

This role works within various departments. We will try to accommodate your preferred seats where we can but there is no guarantee of this. You will be regarded as a fee earner during this time and will be expected to provide high-quality legal services to all our clients, under the supervision and training of a qualified solicitor.

What will we expect from you:

You should be passionate about providing:

• Support to your colleagues.
• To undertake your duties professionally and with the utmost skill and care.
• We take the view we stand and fall as a team - you will need to work both on your own and as part of a team.
• To always put clients first and respect their confidentiality at all times.

Getting paid for the work you do

• You will be tasked with undertaking fee earning work including conducting cases under the supervision of a Team Leader/Solicitor.
• You will organise interviews with clients, assess legal problems, and advise clients on costs ensuring excellence in respect of technical advice, client service, and user-friendly language. Making sure that the client’s needs are met as soon as possible and deal with any issues that arise for them.
• Arranging meetings, making appointments, and maintaining an up-to-date diary for your Team Leader is an important part of the role.
• Undertaking any specific training is a requirement and you have a responsibility towards managing your own self-development.
• Preparing documentation, standard and non-standard correspondence as well as drafting case papers will be part of your duties. You will also deal with billing, paying costs, and closing files.
• You will administer files including daily filing, and the opening, closing, storage, and retrieval of client files in accordance with the detailed procedures contained in the Office manual.
• Accurate time recording for the work which you undertake for the purpose of billing the client.
• You will be expected to attend Court with counsel and take notes.

To perform this job, you will need:

• In terms of qualifications, you need to have the necessary academic and vocational qualifications required by the Law Society, including a good academic record having preferably obtained a 2:1 degree or higher at university.
• Key skills needed for the role are excellent teamwork skills, attention to detail, and the ability to use initiative. You display honesty, integrity, and have a 'can do' attitude to situations.
• Experience of and willingness to work for people of all kinds, and the ability to recognise that everyone is entitled to equal opportunities before the law.
• Previous experience of working under LEXCEL or similar management standard alongside computerised case management systems would be beneficial.
• You will have the ability to communicate effectively with others face to face, on the telephone, and in writing. Using appropriate language for different clients and situations as required.

A little bit about the colleague we’re looking for:

At EMG we like our trainees to stand out from the crowd. We are looking for talented, highly motivated, resilient, and hardworking candidates. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are a must.

We want our trainees to have a continual desire for self-development and a commitment to excellence.

We expect our trainees to engage in social events within the firm and be strong team players. Our success is based upon our team ethos, and this is an area we continue to nurture.

Our Trainees should live and breathe our values, demonstrating them in their everyday lives both in and outside of work.

Some of the behaviours we want to see demonstrated in this role:

• Cooperation – You will need to work proactively together with your team towards your common goals, letting them know when you are able to help.
• Courage – You have the courage to ask questions and expect a helpful answer. There is never a stupid question.
• Excellence – You communicate effectively to manage clients and colleague's expectations.
• Integrity – You will work in a way that demonstrates fairness, openness, and honesty offering training and sharing knowledge. If you do happen to make a mistake, we would want you to raise these with your supervisor without fear of any reprisal.
• Kindness – We ask that you listen, encourage participation, and allow people to be heard, noticing when colleagues and clients may need an extra hand and an offer of help.

When applying for the role, please upload a copy of your CV and a covering letter to demonstrate how you and your experience fulfill the criteria for the role in line with our values.

What We Offer

• We take pride in our employment offer and believe it has something to appeal to everyone, but we’re always reviewing our proposition to make sure it remains competitive and relevant.
• We provide a full complement of training to support you and develop you in being the best you can be in your role; this starts with a comprehensive induction to really help you settle into your new role.
• Firm-wide annual bonus scheme, in addition to a competitive salary 4% Pension employer contributions offered through Standard Life
• 25 days holiday entitlement per year (FTE) with an additional three days off at Christmas 5 extra days paid leave on your 5-year anniversary – (and every 5 years thereafter)
• Life Assurance providing your loved ones with a 3x salary death in service benefit
• Employee Assistance Program – a Freephone number you can call 24/7 for personal, legal, and financial issues; to arrange counseling and a GP helpline
• Free annual flu injection
• EMG Rewards – Vivup app & Tastecard apps offering discounts across a large number of retailers
• £50 Gift card on your birthday as well as a late start or early finish
• £50 Gift card at Christmas plus Christmas closure (subject to variation) Cycle to work scheme
• Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme
• For colleagues who are having babies we support them through Dear Bump, providing welfare packs, and support through your pregnancy.
• If you want to take the family or friends out, we have two passes for Beamish open-air museum which you can book out and take up to 10 people to the museum free of charge.
• Opportunity to join EMG working groups, such as our Green Team, Better Health at Work Team, Empowerment, Diversity and Inclusion Team & our Community Team
• Regular surveys to understand issues our team care about. Includes regular guest speakers on a wide range of topics

EMG Solicitors are an equal opportunities employer.

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Free flu jabs
• Life insurance
• Referral programme
• Store discount

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday