Northumbria law student crowned first Apprentice of the Year

A law student from Northumbria University’s first-ever Solicitor Higher Apprenticeship cohort has been named Apprentice of the Year at the highly prestigious Northern Law Awards.

Originally from Leeds, Saffron is in her sixth and final year of the programme at Northumbria, studying part-time whilst working at Newcastle-based law firm Sintons.

The Northern Law Awards celebrate the great wealth of legal talent within the region. Saffron achieved the title ‘Apprentice of the Year’ - a new category which debuted at this year’s ceremony at St James’ Park.

In a category with a shortlist of exceptional calibre, Saffron showed excellent legal skills over a range of disciplines, a proven track record of academic ability, and significant personal and professional development.

“Being named the first Apprentice of the Year is a huge achievement, and I am so proud and honoured to have been presented this award,” Saffron said.

“I am extremely grateful for the support I have had throughout the full six years – both from Northumbria and Sintons, who have played an integral part in shaping my career. I feel ready and confident to re-enter the workplace as a qualified and well-rounded lawyer.”

Kayliegh Richardson, associate professor in Law at Northumbria Law School, said: “The entire Solicitor Higher Apprenticeship team at Northumbria are proud of Saffron and her success at the Northern Law Awards. Saffron has worked incredibly hard during her six-year apprenticeship programme, balancing work at one of the region’s leading law firms with her academic study and achieving high results throughout. She has a fantastic career in law ahead of her.”

Sally Green who is Saffron’s Workplace Coach at Northumbria added: “I am thrilled that Saffron has received this award, reflecting her hard work and commitment to both her studies and her role at Sintons across a number of teams. She has shown great character and resilience by always going the extra mile. As her coach, it has been a privilege to work with her.”

Christopher Welch, managing partner at Sintons, said: “Saffron’s win is incredibly well deserved. Six years ago, she moved across the country on her own to start an apprenticeship, having never even worked in an office environment before.

“We’ve seen her confidence grow, her legal skills develop, and her academic achievements speak for themselves: she achieved a first-class honours during the pandemic and in her recent SQE1 assessment Saffron scored within the top 20% across England and Wales.

“Saffron is a huge asset to the team and we’re proud that she chose to build her career at Sintons.”

The Solicitor Higher Apprenticeship is a research-rich, experientially focused programme, combining theoretical academic study with practice-based and work-based learning modules providing the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to practice as a solicitor.

As the only university in the North of England to offer this course, Northumbria is at the forefront of higher and degree apprenticeships. It has the knowledge and expertise to deliver this course in a way that results in both apprentice and employer satisfaction.

Business Development Manager at Northumbria University, Vincent Robson said: “I am thrilled for Saffron, this Award is absolutely deserved. It highlights the success of our Solicitor Higher Apprenticeship and the partnership we have developed with Sintons to develop future legal talent.”

Find out more about studying Law at Northumbria University.

A limited number of places are available on selected courses starting this September. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/clearing to find out more.