Joanna Hughes MBE
Expert Consultant and Champion of Solicitor Apprenticeships
FOR A MORE
INCLUSIVE AND BRILLIANT
LEGAL SECTOR IN THE UK
FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE AND BRILLIANT LEGAL SECTOR IN THE UK
Joanna Hughes MBE
Founder & Director
Joanna Hughes
Solicitor Apprenticeships
Hi, I'm Joanna.
I am hugely passionate about the benefits of the solicitor apprentice route into the legal profession; benefits it can bring to both law firms and apprentices.
I have years of experience in advising law firms and in-house legal teams on the advantages of solicitor apprenticeships and can give you complete direction about the process.
Think of me as your go-to consultant for all things solicitor apprenticeships.
With 25 years experience as a solicitor in a large international law firm, and the Co-CEO of City Century, I can safely say I ‘get’ law firms and how best to introduce and operate solicitor apprenticeships.
Motivated by a desire to improve socio-economic diversity in the legal profession, I'm a multi-award winning social mobility advocate, and was awarded an MBE for services to Education and Skills in the New Year's Honours List 2026.
Video from the Canny Conversations Podcast by Safaraz Ali MBE, Social Entrepreneur
"There is a reason why we chose Joanna for the 2024 Commitment to Apprenticeships Award, from a pool of many brilliant champions in many sectors. Joanna is a passionate and principled advocate for social mobility, with a rare ability to unite purpose, professionalism, and authenticity...."
Other consultants can assist with solicitor apprenticeships, but none of them were solicitors themselves.
My experience as a solicitor at Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman) for 25 years and the fact that I co-led the introduction of solicitor apprenticeships at Allen & Overy, the first ‘Magic Circle’ firm to launch this important route to qualification, gives me a unique insight into the experiences of both solicitor apprentices, their supervisors and law firms in general.
I offer services for employers, not for aspiring solicitor apprentices. The City Century collaboration of 50+ law firms however assists both law firms and school pupils wishing to apply for a solicitor apprenticeship.
Jo in action - in her day-to-day role!
Some of the organisations I work with:
