Law firm recognised for apprenticeships approach

Law firm Sort Legal has been recognised as one of the best in the country for its approach to apprenticeships.

The firm, which has its head office in Derby, and a second office in Cardiff, has been ranked 24th in this year’s Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employer awards, which recognise the nation’s top apprenticeship employers.

First compiled in 2020, the annual employer rankings have been developed by the Department of Education, in partnership with High Fliers Research, who independently assess and rank the nation’s top apprenticeship employers.

The Top Apprenticeship SME Employer category assesses employers with up to 249 employees and measures an employer’s commitment to employing apprenticeships, the number of new apprenticeships created, the diversity of their new apprenticeships, and the progression of their apprentices onto further employment.

Over the past few years, the conveyancing industry has experienced a decline in recruitment, which has been worsened by the pandemic.

This has led to many people leaving the industry, which drove Sort Legal to explore the apprenticeship route.

The company, which provides legal services to clients wishing to buy, sell or remortgage their homes, now invests heavily in apprentices to support its longer-term growth plans.

Sort Legal currently has an impressive cohort of apprentices, with three trainee legal cashiers, alongside two apprentice administration assistants specialising in business administration at Level 3.

The company is set to recruit two more apprentice administration assistants shortly.

The success of Sort Legal’s apprenticeship programme is highlighted by the recent accomplishments of several apprentices.

Four apprentice administration assistants recently completed their apprenticeships and have been promoted to the role of remortgage paralegals.

Two legal cashiers have successfully passed their apprenticeships and been promoted to group management accountants.

Another apprentice in accounts has been promoted to group finance manager.

Kevin Tunnicliffe, chief executive at Sort Legal, said: “We are delighted to be ranked 24th in the Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers 2023.

“This is a huge accolade and one we are very proud of.

“At Sort Legal, we are keen to develop, train and provide our employees with not only a role, but a career to be proud of.

“This award celebrates the effort everyone has put into our recruitment strategy so far.

“We believe in empowering every individual to achieve their full potential and will continue to deliver opportunities for the city’s apprentices in the future.”