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Government Legal Department: Solicitors

Asked by Dr Neil Shastri-HurstConservativeAttorney GeneralTabled Answered 26 March 2026UIN 123079

The question

To ask the Solicitor General, how many trainee solicitors who undertook a training contract with the Government Legal Department left upon completion in each of the past five years.

Answered by Ellie Reeves

The Government Legal Department’s (GLD) Legal Trainee Scheme is a two‑year programme. Accordingly, the year of completion reflects cohorts who began their training contracts two years earlier.

The number of trainee solicitors who undertook a training contract with the GLD and left upon completion of the two‑year scheme in each of the past five years is as follows:

  • Out of the 37 trainee solicitors that completed the scheme, 2 trainee solicitors left upon completion in 2021.
  • Out of the 36 trainee solicitors that completed the scheme, 3 trainee solicitors left upon completion in 2022.
  • Out of the 37 trainee solicitors that completed the scheme, 2 trainee solicitors left upon completion in 2023.
  • Out of the 33 trainee solicitors that completed the scheme, 2 trainee solicitors left upon completion in 2024.
  • Out of the 36 trainee solicitors that completed the scheme, 1 trainee solicitor left upon completion in 2025.

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