Royal family’s law firm hires first apprentice solicitors
Farrer & Co, the London law firm that represents the Queen on legal matters, has said it will hire its first apprentice solicitors to start in Autumn this year.
The law firm told City A.M. that it will be taking on two apprentice solicitors to start in September this year.
Apprentice solicitors hired by the 321-year-old firm will undergo a six-year apprenticeship programme, through which they will eventually become qualified solicitors.
Founded in 1701, the London law firm – which is based out of a Grade II listed mansion in Lincoln’s Inn Fields – has a long and established record of representing Britain’s aristocracy in legal matters.
In 1789, Farrer & Co represented the Duke of York in his case against The Times, which saw the editor of the paper imprisoned for a year for libel.
The firm later acted on behalf of Rupert Murdoch’s News International – the news conglomerate that now owns The Times – during the phone hacking scandal.
In the 1930s, the blue-blooded firm also advised the Royal Family, over plans for the abdication of Edward VIII after he proposed to American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
Since Oliver Farrar first joined the firm as a partner in 1759, the firm has had at least one member of the Farrar family working for it.
Applications for the scheme close on Sunday 13 February. Successful applicants will join the firm in September.
Farrer & Co’s Katherine Wilde said the firm believes its apprenticeship scheme “will result in commercially astute solicitors who are able to deliver the highest quality service to our clients”
In bringing on its apprentices, Farrer & Co will partner with ULaw to deliver training and learning opportunities.