Rachael becomes our first apprentice to qualify

Congratulations to our colleague Rachael McDonagh who has become the first Harrison Drury team member to qualify as a solicitor through the Solicitor Apprenticeship route.

Rachael, who has qualified into our private client team, embarked on her apprenticeship when she joined us straight from college in 2016 and was part of only the second cohort in the whole country to take this route.

While the more traditional way to qualify involves taking a university degree followed by legal training, the apprenticeship integrates study with on-the-job training, enabling people to qualify while gaining varied work experience.

Harrison Drury’s six-year legal apprenticeship programme invites applications from both college leavers and graduates, who join the programme at a later stage. The latter stages of the apprenticeship incorporate a law degree and Solicitors Qualifying Exams.

Pictured above: Rachael McDonagh and Clare Fleming.

Rachael, who decided on a career in law after studying it at A Level at Cardinal Newman College, commented: “I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity and that I started the apprenticeship when this route was in its infancy.

“I feel like it has given me a head start in my legal career given that I already have developed knowledge, skills and experience in the work environment. I’m looking forward to using these skills as part of our private client team, helping our clients with often complex and sensitive legal matters.”

Clare Fleming, partner and head of the private client team, said: “It’s fantastic to see Harrison Drury’s training programme offering such choice for people starting a legal career, and producing outstanding talent that continues to strengthen the firm.

“We’re delighted Rachael chose to specialise in private client law and has qualified into our growing team. The experience she has already gained during her apprenticeship will be of real value to our clients.”

Since Rachael blazed the Solicitor Apprenticeship trail at Harrison Drury, we’ve expanded our apprenticeship programme and currently have seven legal apprentices all at different stages of their training, including three who joined as part of our most recent trainee intake.

For more information on training opportunities and working at Harrison Drury, visit our careers page.