A law firm with offices in Leeds, Manchester and London that offers paralegal and solicitor apprenticeships.
Addleshaw Goddard (often shortened to AG) is a large commercial law firm. That means it works for businesses rather than ordinary households: helping companies buy and sell other companies, borrow money, rent or build property, handle disputes and follow regulation. Its own materials say it works with over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries and focuses on sectors such as energy and utilities, financial services, real estate and technology. The firm also describes itself as an award-winning premium firm.
AG's roots are in the north of England and London. The Lawyer's firm profile says it was formed in 2003 when Addleshaw Booth & Co, a firm with strength in Manchester and Leeds, merged with Theodore Goddard, a London firm known for media and entertainment work. In 2017 it added a Scottish business through a merger with HBJ Gateley's Scottish arm. TargetJobs describes it as London-headquartered, with 22 offices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and says it has more than 1,800 lawyers (the firm's own claim). Offices named on its early careers pages include Leeds, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The firm also mentions '250 years of history' in its own description, which we could not trace to a single founding date.
We did not find a formal mission statement. The firm describes itself as 'uniquely AG' and says its values centre on excellence through collaboration and doing the right things in the right ways. It stresses inclusion, with plans covering disability, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+ and social mobility, and says it was a top-five employer in the Social Mobility Index 2025 (the firm's claim, as reported by Higherin). Lawyers, including trainees, are encouraged to do 50 hours of pro bono (free legal help for people who cannot afford it) each year.
The work covers more than 50 areas of business law. Newer teams include legal technology and cyber security. Higherin lists a Cyber Security Graduate Scheme for 2027 based in Leeds at £26,000 a year, which shows AG hires for roles beyond law as well.
For young people there are several routes. Apprenticeships cover paralegal, solicitor and business services roles. The solicitor apprenticeship lasts four to six years depending on exemptions and asks for ABB at A Level and five GCSEs at grade 4 including English and Maths. The paralegal apprenticeship lasts 24 months and asks for three Cs at A Level. The September 2027 intake opens 7 December 2026 and closes 29 January 2027. Apprentices earn a salary from day one, but no amount is published, and solicitor apprentices join the trainee cohort for their final two years. Graduate training contracts offer about 60 places a year, four six-month seats, a buddy and a mentor, and need a 2:1 degree. Law and non-law graduates are welcome and the firm has dropped its minimum A-level requirement and uses contextual and blind recruitment (as at 2026, TargetJobs). Easter placements are in Edinburgh and London and summer placements in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London and Manchester; applications closed or close at 12pm on 5 January 2027. Insight days are in March 2027, and insight evenings run in Leeds and Manchester in November 2026. Check the firm's site for the latest dates.
Website: www.addleshawgoddard.com
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