Overview

Express Solicitors is an award-winning, specialist personal injury firm founded in 2000 and headquartered in Manchester. The firm has grown into one of the UK’s leading claimant personal injury practices, ranking in The Lawyer Top 200 and recognised in both Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners. It operates a national claimant-focused practice (medical negligence, road traffic accidents, employers’ liability, public/occupiers liability and industrial disease), emphasises intensive in-house training and client care, and is notable for taking on complex and difficult cases other firms will not.

Headquarters: Manchester, South Court (1 Sharston Road)
Founded: 2000
Lawyers: 850+
Trainees: 40
Offices: 4
Revenue: £84.6m (2025)

Values & Culture

Practice Areas

Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence
Dispute Resolution & Litigation
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Public Law
Transport & Logistics
Insurance & Reinsurance

Geographic Focus: National UK claimant practice with offices in Manchester (head/registered office), Liverpool and a London presence (Central London — Golden Cross House). The firm handles cases nationwide for individuals, operates a UK-facing client base and purchases WIP from other UK practices; no international office network is promoted.

Training Contract

Express recruits trainees predominantly internally: law graduates join the firm as Litigation Assistants via a five-week Graduate Scheme and then progress to department-based roles. Candidates are assessed in regular appraisals (every 4 months during litigation assistant stage) and typically take between 6–18 months to be considered for a training contract (some faster or slower depending on capability). The firm does not run a separate external TC intake; training contracts are awarded to existing employees who have progressed through the internal route. Training emphasises practical responsibility early, supervised case-handling, frequent feedback and a mix of classroom and LMS learning.

Starting Salary: Year 1: £28,500; Year 2: £29,500
NQ Salary: £36,000
Trainee Intake: 40
Qualification Rate: 80%
Academic Requirements: No minimum degree classification required; no minimum A-level requirement (the firm recognises all degree levels and considers additional skills/experience where degree classification is lower).

Seat Options

EL (Employer’s Liability)
OLPL (Occupiers & Public Liability)
RTA (Road Traffic Accidents)
CN (Clinical Negligence)
CICA (Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority)
CL (Civil Liberties)
GA (Group Actions)

Sponsorship

Apprenticeship course costs covered by the firm (for Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship and Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship via BPP). For SQE Degree Apprentices: £100 paid via payroll towards study aids (one-off). LegalCheek lists an SQE grant of £1,000. PGDL/GDL grant: Not applicable per supplementary data.

SQE Support

Firm supports SQE routes: paid training options include SQE degree apprenticeship and PSC; apprenticeships run with BPP (Level 7). The firm pays MTSG membership for trainees where relevant and offers LMS-based study resources. LegalCheek data notes an SQE grant of £1,000.

International Opportunities

0% chance of secondment abroad (insider data indicates virtually no international secondment programme).

Client Secondments

Approximately 5% chance of client secondment (insider data indicates around a 5% likelihood).

Mentorship

Trainees are mentored by the Training Principal (Raana Lowery) and receive one-to-one supervision from departmental supervisors; the firm operates a buddy/supervisor model, with formal appraisals and dedicated Trainee Mentor during Vacation Schemes. Training Principal mentors all Trainee Solicitors and there is a structured feedback regime (multiple appraisals per year for junior staff).

Apply on the Express Solicitors website →

Programmes & Schemes

Vacation Scheme (Easter & Summer weeks)

One-week, office-based work placements for final-year LLB, GDL, LPC, LLM or SQE students. Participants are given practical tasks on live casework, dedicated Trainee Mentor support, workshops and (where possible) court attendance. The scheme is used as a pipeline into the Graduate Scheme and future Litigation Assistant roles.

Duration: 1 week
Salary: £250 (for the week, to cover travel and amenities)

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Graduate Scheme

A five-week, intensive in-house training academy for new law graduates joining as Litigation Assistants. Content includes black letter law seminars, case management system training (Proclaim), drafting workshops, soft skills sessions and staged work on live files with one-to-one feedback. The scheme runs multiple times per year (start dates generally in January, March, June and September) and feeds into department placements and the internal route to training contracts.

Duration: 5 weeks

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Level 7 Solicitor Apprenticeship

A 6-year solicitor apprenticeship run in conjunction with BPP. The programme awards an LLB (Hons) Law and Legal Practice qualification and includes the required SQE examinations. Apprentices have one day per week ring-fenced for studies and receive on-the-job case experience from new client intake through to running files.

Duration: 6 years

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Level 3 Paralegal Apprenticeship

A 2-year paralegal apprenticeship (in partnership with BPP) aimed at school-leavers seeking an entry route into legal work. Apprentices have one day per week ring-fenced for study and progress from New Client Team administrative duties to litigation assistant and then to running a caseload.

Duration: 2 years

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Notable Matters

Motorcyclist awarded £45,000 after failed U-turn collision

Express represented a motorcyclist who collided with a car performing a U-turn; the matter settled for £45,000. The case is presented as an example of the firm’s road-traffic litigation and ability to secure compensation for complex liability facts.