The first two participants have joined a new adviser academy being launched by a hybrid legal and Financial Planning firm.

The Academy has been created by Tees Financial, the Financial Planning arm of major regional law firm Tees Law.

Tees Financial says the Academy at Tees Financial will train aspiring financial advisers who will undergo a structured two-year apprenticeship programme. The course combines studying for the CII’s Diploma in Financial Advice with day-to-day experience of the work of a financial adviser.

As well as studying for their Level 4 Financial Adviser exams, Academy participants will learn on the job, shadowing experienced Tees financial advisers.

Tees has 22 partners, 325 staff and a turnover of £26m and is a significant regional legal and wealth management firm with six offices, mainly in the East of England including a HQ  in Bishop’s Stortford and an office in Cambridge. It was established in 1913 by Herbert Stanley Tee in Bishop’s Stortford and is one of the town’s major employers.

The firm provides advice to for businesses and individuals including business advice, clinical negligence, personal injury, family law and independent financial advice. It employs several Chartered Financial Planners and has a growing financial advice arm.

The two new recruits are Percy Sam, who studied Industrial Design at Bournemouth University, graduating with a master’s degree in 2020, and Guy Pearson, who studied Exercise, Nutrition and Health at Nottingham Trent University. After graduating in 2018, Mr Pearson set up as a personal trainer, before the pandemic disrupted his business and prompted him to change career paths.

James Appleby, managing director of Tees Financial, said: “The Academy has been set up as a key part of our long-term growth strategy. We are very proud to be investing in young talented individuals who represent the future of financial advice.”