How much will I earn as a newly qualified solicitor?

Jul 08, 2022

Written By Robert Greene

Money, money, money. Aspiring solicitors may profess a love for advocacy or problem-solving, but if there is one thing that gets most hopeful lawyers talking it’s salary. And more specifically, how much they might earn as a solicitor.

How much do trainee solicitors earn?

As with newly qualified (‘NQ’) salaries, trainee salaries vary greatly, depending on a range of factors, from the size of the firm, the firm’s location, the sector the firm operates in and the firm’s clientele. As a general rule, trainee salaries are higher in London than regional areas. DLA Piper, for example, offers first-year trainees a starting salary of £46,000 in its London office and £30,000 in its offices outside London. Firms’ grants for the PGDL and living costs also tend to be lower for students outside London.

In addition, large corporate firms tend to offer bigger bucks, with Magic Circle firms offering first-year trainees salaries in the region of £50,000. Starting salaries can be even higher in US firms, with the likes of Sullivan & Cromwell and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton offering first-year trainees salaries of £55,000 or more.

However, these headline-grabbing figures are the exception, not the norm. Indeed, the Law Society currently recommends law firms pay their trainees a minimum salary of £22,794 in London and £20,217 outside of London. A far cry from the £60,000 offered at Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

How much do newly-qualified solicitors earn?

Again, NQ salaries vary widely depending on a number of factors, including the practice area you qualify into. Typically, solicitors working in commerce and industry tend to earn higher salaries to those in government or private practice.

Salary wars continue to be a hot topic in the legal press. Many Magic and Silver Circle firms now tempt aspiring solicitors with eye-watering six-figure salaries upon qualification, something most graduates could only dream of. These figures pale in comparison to the mind-boggling sums offered by US firms, which reach up to £150,000 upon qualification. With the average equity partner and salaried partner in England and Wales earning £130,000 and £75,000 respectively in 2018, according to the Law Society, this means some NQs are earning more than lawyers at the top of law firms. Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and NQs earning six-figure sums can expect to be working long, and at times grueling, hours.

It is also worth mentioning that these salaries are exceptionally high. The average NQ salary is likely to be more modest, with reputable firms such as Kingsley Napley, Irwin Mitchell and Withers, for example, offering salaries in the region of £65,000. In addition, statistics from the Law Society show that the average salary for solicitors in private practice in England and Wales in 2018 was highest in London at £88,000 and lowest in the North of England at £43,000. The average salary for an associate solicitor stood at £65,000.

Career Progression