The WG Academy Programme

We take great pride in the WG Academy, a dynamic programme that champions our employees' personal development and career advancement. Launched in 2024, the WG Academy replaced our previous sponsorship and apprenticeship initiatives, providing a consolidated platform to empower our staff to reach their career aspirations.

Through internal sponsorship and government-backed initiatives, the WG Academy offers an extensive array of legal and non-legal qualifications. Accessible to all members of our firm, it embodies our commitment to a no-glass ceilings approach, ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to excel and achieve their goals.

 

The different routes to success

The WG Academy programme offers numerous pathways to success. We provide a diverse array of qualifications for employees to choose from, providing full support and backing every step of the way. Through the WG Academy, the following legal qualifications are available:

• CILEX Paralegal – CPQ Foundation
  For those wanting to qualify as a CILEX Lawyer and don't have a degree, this is the first step to doing so. Completing the CILEX Professional Qualification (CPQ) Foundation stage gives you a CILEX Diploma in Law. With five modules to complete, either one after the other or simultaneously, the course duration can be guided by you. 
   
• CILEX Advanced Paralegal – CPQ Advanced
  If you have completed the Foundation stage of CPQ or are already working in senior paralegal positions, you can continue your journey to becoming a CILEX Lawyer through CPQ Advanced. Once completed, it gives you a CILEX Advanced Diploma in Law and Practice. There are five mandatory modules plus the choice of 1 of 3 optional modules, which can be completed one after the other or simultaneously. The duration of the course and intensity of study can be guided by you. 
   
• CPQ Professional LawyerCILEX
  The final stage of CPQ – the professional stage. Once completed, you can become a specialist CILEX Lawyer with full practice rights and gain a CILEX Professional Diploma in Legal Practice. With a course duration of 20 and 34 months, the CPQ Professional stage has one mandatory and one optional module. You can enter at this stage if you have an LPC qualification and want to qualify as a CILEX Lawyer. 
  
  
• CILEX CPQ Graduate Fast Track
  If you have a qualifying law degree or postgraduate diploma in law and want to qualify as a CILEx Lawyer, the Graduate Fast Track allows you to condense the three levels of qualification to reach your goal.
  
  
• Period of Recognised Training (PRT/Training Contracts)
  For those that have completed the Legal Practice Course, a Period of Recognised Training (often known as a Training Contract) allows you to qualify as a Solicitor, giving you supervised experience in various areas of law. The Period of Recognised Training takes two years to complete, and you will undertake the Professional Skills course along the way.  
   
• Solicitor Apprenticeship
  ​For those who want to qualify as a Solicitor through the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) without a degree, this six and a half year Apprenticeship will allow you to complete a Qualifying Law Degree in Legal Practice and Skills and guide you through the preparation for and completion of your SQE 1 and 2 exams. You will have the opportunity to add on a Masters at the end.
   
• Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship
  ​For those who want to qualify as a Solicitor through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and have recently completed a Law Degree, this 2-year Apprenticeship guides you through the preparation and completion of your SQE 1 and 2 exams, with the opportunity to add on a Masters degree at the end. 
  
  
• Graduate Solicitor Apprenticeship with Law Essentials
  ​For those who want to qualify as a Solicitor through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and have completed either a non-law or Law Degree that finished over three years ago. This 33-month Apprenticeship covers academic law foundation subjects before guiding you through the preparation and completion of your SQE 1 and 2 exams, with the opportunity to add on a Masters degree at the end. 

 

Non-legal qualifications

Through the WG Academy, we can support our non-legal-based employees with career progression opportunities. We offer a wide range of courses and qualifications for the following:

• Accounts
• Business Management
• Human Resources
• IT & Software
• Marketing
• Project Management  
• Public Administration

 

WG Academy Success Stories

Explore the individual journeys of our staff within the Academy Programme, showcasing the talent, commitment, and ambition that define our team.

Catherine Tilling Administrator

Grace Kabasele Trainee Solicitor

Megan Barber Paralegal

Alexandra Stosiek Paralegal

 

Looking to the future

"As we peer into the future, it becomes evident that offering career development opportunities to our dedicated staff is more than just an investment in individuals; it is a strategic decision that profoundly enriches our firm. In the ever-evolving landscape of law, nurturing our own talent is equivalent to planting the seeds of success that will blossom and guide us towards excellence for many years to come."

- Andy Munden, Managing Partner and Chartered Legal Executive