EMG Solicitors

Overview

EMG Solicitors is a rapidly growing, values-led national law firm headquartered in Durham with an emphasis on Court of Protection and private client work. The firm is B Corp certified, Lexcel accredited and a Legal 500-ranked practice (Tier 1 for Personal Tax, Trusts & Probate in the regions and strong rankings in Court of Protection and Family), and it combines regional office reach (multiple UK offices) with specialist teams — notably one of the largest independent Court of Protection teams in the country. EMG differentiates itself through a strong people-first culture, measurable community impact (its EMG Community Fund and annual WonderLAN fundraising for Headway) and structured early-career pathways including a solicitor apprenticeship with a university study day.

• Headquarters: Durham
• Founded: 2014
• Lawyers: 140+ (headcount referenced across 2023-2024)
• Trainees: 9 (new cohort 2026)
• Offices: 16
• Revenue: £4.6 million (reported growth figure cited in firm commentary)

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

• Private Client & Wealth
• Family Law
• Real Estate
• Education
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Tax

Geographic Focus: Strong regional presence across the North of England with expanding coverage into other UK cities (16 offices nationally). The firm’s market strength is particularly pronounced in Court of Protection and private client work, with an expanding residential conveyancing and family practice and a strategy focused on regional hubs rather than international expansion.

Training Contract

Standard training contract comprises four seats, each of six months duration (four different seats across the two-year programme). Seats are allocated with reference to trainee preferences where possible and the firm states trainees have client contact from day one, a designated mentor in the firm, and access to technical and off-the-job training sessions.

• Trainee Intake: 9 (new cohort starting 2026)
• Application Deadline: 2025-07-31

Seat Options

• Court of Protection - Property & Affairs
• Court of Protection - Health & Welfare
• Mental Health & Social Care Funding
• Family Law
• Family Mediation
• Residential Conveyancing
• Wills, Trusts & Probate
• Education Law
• Dispute Resolution & Litigation
• Deputy Advisory Service

Sponsorship

Solicitor Apprenticeship (NESA) route provides a fully funded law degree delivered in partnership with Northumbria University (apprenticeship combines four days a week in-firm with one day of university study).

Mentorship

Each trainee is allocated a designated mentor within the firm; trainees also benefit from structured supervision, access to working groups (including a Young Networkers Group and Diversity & Inclusion group) and firm-wide development initiatives.

Apply on the EMG Solicitors website →

Programmes & Schemes

Notable Matters

What EMG Solicitors Looks For

Key Competencies

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Highly motivated and resilient
• Hardworking with a commitment to excellence
• Team player with ability to engage in firm social life
• Desire for continual self-development
• Alignment with EMG core values (Co-operation, Courage, Excellence, Integrity, Kindness)

Evidence Signals

• Paralegal or relevant client-facing work experience (where applicable)
• Demonstrable commitment to community or charity work
• Examples showing commercial awareness and client service orientation
• Evidence of teamwork and collaborative projects
• Clear alignment with the firm’s values in personal examples and motivations
• For apprenticeship applicants: strong communication, reliability and readiness to blend work and study

Benefits & Wellbeing

• Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 Freephone for personal, legal and financial issues; counselling and GP helpline)
• Life assurance (three times salary death in service benefit)
• Firm-wide bonus scheme
• Pension scheme through Standard Life
• 25 days holiday entitlement per year (FTE) plus an additional three days off at Christmas
• Free annual flu injection
• EMG Rewards wellness app (discounts across retailers)
• £50 gift card on your birthday (plus late start or early finish)
• £50 gift card at Christmas and Christmas closure (subject to variation)
• 5 extra days paid leave on 5 year anniversary (and every 5 years thereafter)
• Regular colleague surveys and guest speaker events
• Regular wellbeing workshops and a Health & Wellbeing working group
• Opportunity to join EMG working groups (e.g., JEDI, Green Team, Purpose team, Social Impact Team)

Wellbeing

Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 Freephone access, GP helpline and counselling; regular wellbeing workshops (resilience, sleep, menopause and stress management); Health & Wellbeing working group; EMG Rewards wellness app; ongoing health initiatives credited by the Better Health at Work Continuing Excellence award.

Awards & Recognition

• Private Client Firm of the Year 2024 (Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards)
• Legal 500: Tier 1 ranking for Personal Tax, Trusts & Probate (regional)
• Legal 500: Tier 2 ranking for Court of Protection and Family (regional/London listings)
• Legal 500: Hall of Fame listings for Deborah Jude and Emma Gaudern (individual recognition)
• B Corp Certified (Certified B Corporation)
• Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 (listed; 94% colleague recommendation score cited)
• Investors in People Gold (awarded June 2025)
• CIPD North East of England HR&D Awards — Excellence in Leadership (2022)
• Better Health @ Work — Continuing Excellence (award level)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Certified B Corp; Investors in People Gold; public commitment to stakeholder governance, climate action and community impact through The EMG Way and purpose-led governance structures.

• JEDI team (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion)
• Diversity & Inclusion working group
• Young Networkers Group
• Health & Wellbeing working group
• EMG working groups (Purpose team, Green Team, Social Impact Team)
• EMG Community Fund (charitable giving via Point North/County Durham Community Foundation)
• Colleague forum for feedback and engagement

Pro Bono

EMG describes a community-focused pro bono culture: pro bono work for local charities, board and trustee appointments, fundraising and voluntary time given to charitable initiatives; the firm operates a charitable fund (EMG Community Fund) and donates through Point North and County Durham Community Foundation.

Innovation

The firm promotes online client services (instant quotes, online wills and divorce starts), knowledge-sharing initiatives (training workshops and expert witness knowledge base) and internal programmes to support continuous improvement, but site content does not list specific in-house legal tech platforms or proprietary legal software tools by name.

Quick Application Angles

• Lead with EMG’s values and community impact in your application — reference B Corp status, the EMG Community Fund or the WonderLAN partnership with Headway to show alignment with the firm’s purpose-driven approach.
• Demonstrate interest in Court of Protection work if applying to private client seats — cite the firm’s large COP team and its Legal 500/COP rankings and explain why deputyship and long-term client care appeals to you.
• Reference practical client-facing experience (paralegal, client service, volunteering) and give concise examples of responsibility handled; EMG highlights client contact from day one so evidence of calm, client-focused work will resonate.
• If applying for the apprenticeship, explain why the blend of workplace learning and Northumbria University study suits you and give examples of time management/commitment to long-term professional development.
• Mention wellbeing and teamwork: EMG invests in colleague wellbeing and working groups, so examples of collaboration, participation in extracurricular groups or contributions to community/charity activity will strengthen an application.