For as long as anyone can remember, becoming a solicitor in Ireland meant the same thing: get the points, do the law degree, sit the FE-1 exams, find a training contract. Four years of college first, and a lot of money, before you ever set foot in a law firm.
That just changed.
The Law Society of Ireland has launched the Professional Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme — a route where you go straight from school into a law firm, get paid from day one, and study on your way to qualifying as a solicitor. No degree required.
Here's everything we know so far, in plain English.
What it actually is
It's an "earn while you learn" route into law.
Instead of going to college full-time, you're employed by a solicitor's firm and you study alongside the job. The Law Society describes the split like this:
- Four days a week working with your employer
- One day a week attending classes or doing study
Classes are delivered through a mix of online and in-person learning.
You finish with the same thing a graduate finishes with: qualification as a solicitor. The Law Society is clear that this route is fully accredited and sits alongside the traditional route rather than underneath it.
How long it takes
Six to seven years if you're coming straight from school.
That sounds long — but compare it properly. The traditional route is three or four years of a degree, then the FE-1 exams, then the Professional Practice Course, then 24 months of in-office training. You're looking at a similar timeframe either way.
The difference is that on the apprenticeship, you're earning a salary and gaining real experience for those years instead of paying fees.
Who it's for
The Law Society has built three separate entry points:
1. School leavers Straight out of the Leaving Cert. The only stated requirement so far is that you must be at least 18 years old when you start.
The Law Society says it suits you if you:
- Are interested in law and helping people
- Want to start your career after school
- Prefer learning through practical experience
- Want to earn a salary while studying
- Are motivated, organised and ready to take on a challenge
2. Legal executives and law clerks If you're already working in a law firm, you can build on that. This pathway is expected to take around five to six years, and the Law Society has published the stages: a Diploma in Legal Skills for Legal Executives, then a Diploma in Law, then the FE-1 examinations, then the Professional Practice Course (hybrid format), then a training contract.
3. Employers Firms take on the apprentice and employ them throughout. Firms that want in are asked to email the Law Society directly.
The bit most people will miss
You need an employer.
This isn't a course you apply to on your own and start in September. You're an apprentice, which means a law firm has to take you on and pay you. The Law Society has not yet published how apprentices and firms will be matched, or what the selection process looks like.
So if law is on your radar, start thinking now about firms near you — especially local and regional practices. One of the openly stated reasons behind this programme is the shortage of solicitors outside Dublin, and the fact that this route lets people qualify while staying in their own community. Small-town firms are exactly who this was designed for.
Key dates
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 2026 (now) | Expressions of interest are open. The registration form is live on the Law Society website. |
| September 2027 | The first group of apprentices is expected to start — subject to regulatory approval. |
There is no application deadline published yet, and no formal application form yet either. What exists right now is an expression-of-interest form — you put your name down and the Law Society sends you updates on the programme, application opportunities and next steps.
That "subject to regulatory approval" line matters. The Law Society's Education Committee approved the programme in principle and regulations were drafted, but they need sign-off from the Law Society Council and ultimately the Minister for Justice. The September 2027 start is the plan, not a guarantee.
How to apply (what to do right now)
Step 1 — Register your interest. Go to the Law Society's apprenticeship page and fill in the "Register your interest" form. It's short. It asks for your name, county, email, phone, whether you're a Leaving Cert student or already working in a legal role, your school, the county you'd like to train in, why you're interested, and how you heard about it.
This is the single most important thing you can do today. Everyone on that list hears about the real application process first.
Step 2 — Email them with questions. The programme has its own address: [email protected]
Step 3 — Keep your CAO options open anyway. There is no CAO application involved in this route — it runs entirely through the Law Society and an employer. But the first intake isn't until September 2027 and it still needs regulatory approval. If you're sitting the Leaving Cert in 2027, apply to the CAO as normal. You lose nothing by having both on the table.
Step 4 — Start building the CV a firm would want. Transition Year work experience in a solicitor's office. A part-time job that shows you're reliable. Anything that demonstrates you can handle responsibility and organise yourself. When the applications open, the students who already have a relationship with a local firm will be in a much stronger position.
What you'd actually be studying
The Law Society hasn't published the full stage-by-stage breakdown for the school-leaver pathway yet — it describes it as "a series of professional training milestones" over the six to seven years.
But the qualifications at the heart of becoming a solicitor in Ireland are well established, and the legal executive pathway shows the shape of it:
The FE-1 examinations. Eight papers, and they are the serious academic hurdle: Company Law, Constitutional Law, the Law of Contract, Criminal Law, Equity, the Law of the European Union, the Law of Property, and the Law of Torts. The FE-1 is normally held twice a year, in Spring and Autumn.
The Professional Practice Course (PPC). The Law Society's own professional training, now available in a hybrid format that cuts down how much you have to be physically present.
In-office training. The two years of supervised work in a firm that every solicitor has to complete.
On the apprenticeship, you're doing that workplace element continuously rather than bolted on at the end — which is the whole point of it.
Should you consider it?
It's a genuinely strong option if:
- You know you want law and you don't want four years of full-time study first
- Paying for college is a real problem for your family
- You learn better by doing than by sitting in a lecture hall
- You want to stay in your own county rather than move to Dublin
It's probably not for you if:
- You're not certain about law yet — a degree keeps more doors open
- You want the full college experience, the societies, the Erasmus year
- You'd rather not commit to one firm and one career path at 18
There's no wrong answer here. The point is that, for the first time, there's a choice.
Quick FAQ
Do I need a law degree? No. That's the whole point of the programme. It's open to school leavers with no third-level degree.
Do I get paid? Yes. It's paid employment from the start.
How much? The Law Society has not published salary figures.
What points do I need? No Leaving Cert points requirement has been published. The only stated entry requirement so far is being at least 18 when you start.
Is it the same as being a "real" solicitor at the end? Yes. It's a Law Society-accredited route to qualification as a solicitor.
When can I actually apply? The expression-of-interest form is open now. The formal application process hasn't been published. First intake is expected September 2027.
The short version
A new, paid, degree-free route to becoming a solicitor in Ireland. Six to seven years, four days a week in a law firm, one day a week studying. First intake September 2027, pending final approval. Expressions of interest are open right now.
If law has ever crossed your mind, put your name on that list today. It takes two minutes.
Trying to work out whether law is actually the right fit for you? CourseCompass matches your interests and strengths against every course and career route in Ireland — including the ones that don't go through the CAO.
Sources
- Law Society of Ireland — Professional Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme
- Law Society of Ireland — School Leavers pathway
- Law Society of Ireland — Legal Executives & Law Clerks pathway
- Law Society of Ireland — Employers
- Law Society of Ireland — Register your interest
- Law Society of Ireland — Final Examination – First Part (FE-1)
- Law Society of Ireland — Becoming a solicitor
- Law Society Gazette — Opening doors (March 2026)
- Irish Examiner — Law Society apprenticeship will allow solicitors qualify without third-level degree