Skip to content 
Summary
The legal profession has changed, and so has the way people qualify as solicitors. While training contracts in law firms are still common, in house legal teams now play a much bigger role in legal work and decision making. As a result, training in house has become a credible and established route to qualification.
An in house training contract allows trainees to work inside an organisation rather than solely in a law firm. Trainees gain broad, practical experience and see how legal advice is used in real business situations. This often means earlier responsibility, closer collaboration with non legal teams, and a stronger understanding of commercial context.
Accutrainee recognised this shift over ten years ago and created a structured way for trainees to qualify through in house legal teams with proper supervision and support. This approach helped demonstrate that there is more than one valid way to train as a solicitor, a reality that is now reflected in the SQE system.
Today, candidates can qualify through different types of legal experience as long as it is meaningful and well supported. Accutrainee continues to support trainees and organisations through mentoring, structured pathways, and the Accutrainee Pathways platform, which helps track qualifying work experience and development.
The overall message is that there is no single correct route to qualification. The best path is the one that provides strong experience, proper support, and prepares people for modern legal careers.
If you are thinking about qualifying as a solicitor, you have probably spent a lot of time hearing about training contracts in law firms. For years, that was the default route. It is still the route many people take, and for some it will always be the right choice.
But the legal profession has changed and so has the way lawyers train. See a helpful report from the SRA on The Story So Far
In house legal teams now sit at the heart of organisations. They are involved in commercial decisions, strategy, risk, and growth. They do not just support the business; they help shape it. As that shift has happened, the idea of training exclusively in private practice has started to feel less like a rule and more like one option among many.
An in-house training contract reflects that reality.
What Do We Mean by an In-House Training Contract
An in-house training contract allows you to complete your training while working within an organisation’s legal team, rather than training solely in a law firm.
You are part of the business from day one. You work alongside commercial teams, finance, procurement, HR, and senior stakeholders. You see how legal advice is used in real situations, often at pace, and often with competing priorities in play.
The work tends to be broad. You might support commercial contracts one day, regulatory issues the next, and governance or employment matters the week after. That breadth helps you understand not just the law, but how it operates in context.
In Accutrainee’s experience, for many of our trainees, that makes the learning feel more grounded and more relevant.
Why Accutrainee Took a Different View Over Ten Years Ago
When Accutrainee was founded more than a decade ago, this kind of training was far from mainstream.
At the time, training contracts were limited in number and largely concentrated in private practice. In house legal teams were growing quickly, but very few were set up to train solicitors in a structured, compliant way. There was a clear disconnect between where legal work was happening and where lawyers were allowed to qualify.
Accutrainee was created to address that gap.
The thinking was straightforward. If in house teams were doing high quality legal work, and if they were willing to invest in junior lawyers, then there needed to be a proper framework to allow people to train there. Not informally. Not as an afterthought. But with structure, supervision, and a clear focus on development. Susan Cooper founded Accutrainee to do exactly that, at a time when in house training contracts were still rare and poorly understood. Since then, Accutrainee has become a recognised authority in the early stages of solicitor training, particularly in relation to qualifying in-house and supporting pathways to qualification.
At the time, that was a genuinely different approach. It challenged the idea that there was only one correct way to train, even though the market itself was already moving in a different direction.
Accutrainee’s Model Was Built on Real Experience, Not Shortcuts
From the outset, the Accutrainee model was never about finding an easier route to qualification.
Trainees were placed into real legal teams, doing real work, often across multiple organisations and sectors. They gained exposure to different styles of management, different industries, and different types of legal problems. Alongside that, they received centralised support, training, and oversight to make sure the experience met the standard required to qualify.
The value was in the breadth and context. Trainees learned how law fits into decision making, how legal risk is balanced against commercial reality, and how to communicate advice to non-lawyers. These are skills that are increasingly essential, regardless of where your career goes next.
How the SQE Reflects a Changing Profession
Over time, it became clear that the traditional qualification framework no longer reflected how lawyers were developing in practice.
The introduction of the SQE recognised that there is more than one valid way to become a good solicitor. By separating assessment from the traditional training contract and allowing people to qualify through different types of qualifying work experience, the system caught up with the reality of the market.
That shift did not happen in isolation.
For years, alternative training models had been demonstrating that high quality legal experience could be gained in different environments, provided it was structured, supervised, and meaningful. The SQE formalised that flexibility and made it accessible to a wider group of people.
Today, candidates can qualify through law firms, in house teams, or a combination of both. What matters is the substance of the experience, not the label attached to it.
What Kind of Work Do In-House Trainees Actually Do
In house trainees typically work across a wide range of matters, which can include commercial contracts, regulatory and compliance work, data protection, employment issues, and corporate governance.
You are often involved earlier in the lifecycle of a matter than you might be in private practice. You see problems as they arise, not just when they are escalated. You also work closely with people outside the legal team, which develops your communication skills and your confidence quickly. Often trainees will be trust with high importance matters and get lots of responsibility early, something at Accutrainee we encourage.
That exposure can be demanding, but it is also incredibly valuable.
Who Tends to Thrive in an In-House Training Environment
There is no single profile that fits an in-house training contract, but many people who thrive in this environment share a few common traits.
They are curious about how businesses work. They enjoy variety rather than narrow specialism early on. They are comfortable speaking to non-lawyers and explaining complex issues in practical terms. They want to understand the bigger picture, not just the legal answer.
For those people, training in house can feel like a very natural fit.
What This Means for Your Career After Qualification
Qualifying through an in-house training contract does not close doors. In fact, it often opens different ones.
Accutrainee alumni go on to roles across in house teams, law firms, regulators, and commercial organisations.
As careers become less linear, that adaptability matters more than ever.
Responsibility Comes Early and That Is Intentional
One of the things many Accutrainee trainees’ comment on is the level of responsibility they are trusted with early on.
In-house legal teams tend to work closely and move quickly. Trainees are often involved in matters that genuinely matter to the organisation, rather than being kept at a distance. That might mean supporting high importance contracts, managing stakeholder input, or helping to progress issues that have real commercial or regulatory impact.
That level of trust is not accidental. At Accutrainee, we actively encourage trainees to take responsibility where it is appropriate and properly supported. Learning happens fastest when people feel ownership of their work, and when they understand why what they are doing matters.
Of course, supervision and support remain critical. Responsibility without guidance does not help anyone. But when those two things are balanced well, trainees develop confidence, judgement, and professional maturity far earlier in their careers.
A Final Thought and an Invitation
An in-house training contract is no longer an alternative route. It is a credible and well-established way to qualify that reflects how modern legal careers work. Accutrainee was built on that belief more than ten years ago, before the market caught up. The introduction of the SQE has since reinforced what experience had already shown. There is more than one way to train well, and more than one way to become an excellent solicitor.
If you are a candidate thinking about your training, or a client considering how you support and develop junior lawyers, we would love to talk.
Accutrainee works with individuals and organisations to design structured training, provide mentoring and supervision, and create clear pathways to qualification.
Through Accutrainee Pathways, our platform for tracking qualifying work experience and portfolios, trainees can see their progress clearly and ensure their experience is properly recorded and supported.
Whether you are exploring your own route to qualification or thinking about how your legal team can play a part in training the next generation of solicitors, the conversation usually starts in the same place.
