overview
Are you a law graduate seeking a unique route to qualification as a solicitor?
At Kerv, we understand the challenges being faced by today’s law graduates. With around 30,000 law graduates each year in England & Wales and only about 5,500 legal training contracts available – most of which are offered by law firms – the competition is fierce. In-house training contracts are rare, making them a true “golden ticket” for those who want to build their legal career within a business rather than a traditional law firm.
Kerv Group Limited is proud to be a recognised SRA Authorised Training Provider, offering in-house training contracts and qualifying work experience (QWE) for ambitious graduates who want to take an alternative path to qualification.
What is our Legal Grad Program?
Kerv’s Legal Grad Program is an in-house legal training scheme designed for law graduates eager to launch their legal careers. While completing the program does not guarantee qualification as a solicitor, it provides participants with a wealth of learning opportunities and robust support.
Graduates work closely with a training supervisor to set and achieve their professional goals, all within a positive and collaborative environment. Kerv is committed to facilitating the qualification process as much as reasonably possible, making the program an excellent springboard for a future in law.
We offer two distinct opportunities in our Legal Graduate Program
Opportunity 1
Period of Recognised Training (Full Training Contract)
Working full-time within the legal team, this training contract is packed with learning opportunities and hands-on experience, which will include:
- Fixed-term employment (up to 2.5 years)
- Full-time role within the Legal Team
- Comprehensive exposure to multiple areas of law
- Continuous mentoring and progress tracking
- Opportunity to build your SRA Recognised Training Record
Key Benefits:
- Broader Legal Exposure: Work directly with our business as your only client, gaining experience across a variety of legal areas-from contract law and intellectual property to employment and real estate. Unlike most law firms, where early specialisation is the norm, our in-house team gives you the chance to develop a broad skill set shaped by real business needs.
- Supportive, Flexible Environment: Enjoy a workplace culture that values work-life balance, flexibility, and collaboration. There’s less focus on billable hours and more on meaningful contribution and professional growth.
- Mentorship and Tailored Learning: Work closely with experienced supervisors who will help you set and achieve your goals, with training tailored to your preferred learning style and regular progress reviews.
- Hands-On Experience: Get involved in real projects, collaborate with commercial departments, and interact with both internal stakeholders and external advisors.
Opportunity 2
Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)
This experience will be for an agreed period of time (usually weeks/months). It is envisaged the QWE opportunities will be utilised where there are set pieces of project work to be completed within the business.
- Flexible duration (usually weeks to months)
- Project-based legal work tailored to business needs
- Experience in one or several legal areas, depending on the project
- Pro-rata salary for the duration of your placement
Key Benefits:
- Set Project Work: The candidate will be required to perform set ‘project’ tasks which will change dependant on the business project requirements. The graduate will discuss and agree with the training supervisor on the goals sought to be achieved during the program, which may include collating evidence to assist in meeting the SRAs required recording of the QWE in anticipation of such being presented for sign-off.
- Legal Exposure: The tasks to be performed will vary from project to project. The QWE may address one or several areas of law as it will be dependent on the business requirement (project) at the time. There is scope for a variety of work to be completed in a project or for concentration to be on one area of law alone (e.g., commercial contract reviews).
- Supportive Environment: Kerv’s ethos ensures a friendly, respectful, and supportive workplace. It is important that the candidate meet and demonstrate daily the Kerv values.
"The best thing about working at Kerv is how the Legal Program is tailored to meet your Indvidual needs"
Quote from our Legal Grad Student – Martha Crosdil
Who Can Apply
To be eligible for the above graduate programs you must meet the following qualification requirements.
- For a full training contract: The candidate will be required to have as a minimum of the LPC/SQE 2 qualification
- For QWE: The candidate must be seeking to commence study of either SQE 1 or SQE 2.
How To Apply
Kerv is passionate about highlighting the possible choices and opportunities to assist law graduates in their pursuit of qualification as a solicitor.
You can apply to be a part of the program in a simple 2-step process.
Step 1: Send via email <legal@kerv.com> your current CV; and
Step 2: Answer the below questions in your email:
- How did you learn about the Graduate Program? e.g. word of mouth, LinkedIn etc.
- What interests you about the Kerv Graduate Program?
- Why (if at all) do you consider this Graduate Program different to others?
- Were you aware of in-house training contract opportunities?
- What advice/feedback would you give to Kerv to use in promoting this opportunity.
We maintain a register of interest for applicants who wish to be considered for any upcoming intake. The register is the first port of call for the Legal Team where an intake is approved; therefore, we would recommend your submission of an application.
About Your Application
Where you complete an application and return the required information, you are consenting to your information being retained by Kerv, so that we may contact you when we have a date for the next intake.
All feedback provided in the table above may be used by Kerv in future Kerv marketing. Where any of your feedback is used, it shall be anonymised. We will not use your personal details in our marketing unless you expressly grant such permission.
"Tailored training. This is what stood out for me the most. I believe that there is no one style of training method that suit all candidates. I thrive off training, so it is important to me that it is tailored to my training style."
Feedback from other candidates.
Legal Graduate Experience
Hear it from our full TC law graduate Martha Crosdil
Kerv’s legal department are currently providing a full TC to a law graduate (Martha Crosdil). In a review of the Legal Grad Program, Martha shared her thoughts about her journey at Kerv so far!
Quote from Martha
I have found working at Kerv to be the best possible springboard to my career. My training supervisor, with whom I work closely, gives me the opportunity to learn across a broad range of legal areas and is very helpful. I find each day brings new challenges and exposure to aspects of law across many practice areas, from contract law to employment law. This variety is exciting and stimulating. I feel I am learning a huge amount through practice. If I was asked what the ‘unique selling point’ of the Kerv Grad Program is it allows for a much more tailored and nurturing training experience; which is able to take into account the individual’s needs.
Kerv has proved to be a great place to work, especially as the ethos across the company is very positive and everyone is friendly, respectful and supportive.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Legal Grad Program
To qualify as a solicitor in England & Wales, a law graduate is usually required to complete a 2 year training contract (also referred to as ‘Qualifying Work Experience’), which in essence is ‘on the job’ training. The aim of the work experience is to give aspiring solicitors exposure to ‘real life’ legal work and the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge.
Each year in England & Wales there are approximately 30,000 law graduates per year.
The problem faced by law graduates is the saturation of the marketplace. The number of law graduates (circa 30,000) versus an approximate 5,500 legal training contracts per year. Furthermore, the training contracts are largely available from law firms and often involve various qualification thresholds and pre-determined criteria as to the type of candidate being sought. Securing a training contract in this market is extremely competitive.
Only 10% of training contracts are offered outside of a law firm environment. The SRA does not provide the number of organisations which contribute to the 10%, but it is believed these typically include in-house legal departments, government bodies, and advice services.
The low number of providers offering training contracts versus the number of graduates seeking a training contract is problematic. Where a law graduate would prefer to train in-house and not in a law firm, these opportunities are extremely elusive and very much a ‘golden ticket’ opportunity, but the number of trainee solicitors seeking and choosing this route appears to be rising.
There are vast differences and experiences offered by in-house legal departments compared with the ‘traditional’ law firm training. Both paths offer unique opportunities and challenges. It ultimately depends on career goals, work-life balance preferences, and the type of work environment an individual thrives in. Although it is largely recognised there is more opportunity to earn a greater salary working for a law firm, the choice between working in a law firm or in-house comes down to more than just money. The kind of work, quality of work-life balance, and the business culture are also important factors that should influence a law graduate’s choice between in-house or law firm.
Unlike a law firm, an in-house solicitor ultimately works exclusively for the organisation they are employed by. This means there is only 1 client – the business itself. This may enable the in-house legal team to become deeply integrated into the company’s operations and strategy.
The in-house lawyer is often exposed to a very wide variety of different types and aspects of law, for example covering areas like employment law, intellectual property, real estate and commercial contracts. This could offer specialism in multiple areas of legal practice. Although some larger corporations have legal teams which do offer specialist areas for the in-house solicitor, many smaller companies do not offer this. The variety of work undertaken largely depends on the needs of the employer. In contrast most law firms require you to specialise in one specific area of law. It is also recognised that many law firms struggle to offer a satisfactory work-life balance, whereas the in-house roles often offer a better option for work-life balance. There is generally less emphasis on ‘billable’ hours and time sheets and more flexibility in working arrangements.
According to the SRA, as of 2023, 34,500 in-house solicitors are employed in England and Wales, representing a wide range of private industry sectors and public bodies. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. The law graduate should consider the kind of work they want to do, and the environment they wish to do it in. It is important to remember that choosing one path doesn’t close the door on the other, migration between in-house and a law firm may aways be available later.
