How much do lawyers make in the UK?

Mar 19, 2023

Written By Mary Adeniyi

It’s a common belief that all lawyers earn high salaries. Whilst the salary makes the profession look attractive, this isn’t the case for everyone who works in the legal industry. There are various factors that go into determining how much lawyers earn, such are: the type of law firm, practice area, location and experience. We’ll look at each factor in turn.

Type of law firm

A US law firm, Regional or Boutique- there are many types of law firms that exist. Although the type of work that lawyers do are similar in scope for some law firms, their salaries can reflect the differences between them.

Take Magic Circle firm, Allen & Overy, for example (Magic Circle refers to the five leading law firms headquartered in London). The firm advises internationally recognised companies and they specialise in an array of Commercial work, ranging from finance to banking.

The firm typically recruits around 80 trainees yearly. The trainee role often comes with long hours, and a high-pressured environment. As such, the salaries they receive (£50,000 starting salary, rising to £107,500 upon qualification) reflect the hard work, time and effort they put into their role.

Compare this reality to a smaller, boutique firm. They tend to be smaller in size and advise on niche or specialist practice areas. Their clients also largely tend to be individuals, rather than internationally-recognised businesses.

As a result, lawyers at such firms can expect to receive a lower salary. However, lawyers who work for smaller firms can expect to have a better work-life balance, and rise up in the firm at a much quicker pace. Keep in mind that it is still very possible to earn a high salary, even if you do not work for a Magic Circle law firm.

Type of Practice Area

One of the reasons that make a career in law exciting is the amount of practice areas that exist. From criminal law, to construction law, charity, personal injury and beyond, lawyers can choose a speciality from a range of different options.

However, salaries are also dependent on the type of practice area a lawyer specialises in.

For example, junior barristers at commercial chambers can earn over £70,000 a year. This is in stark contrast to junior family and criminal barristers who can sometimes start with a salary of £20,000 or less. Around 2% of barristers actually earn a salary over £1m per year.

The average salary for a Personal Injury lawyer is approximately over £40,000 a year, while entry level roles can earn them around £32,500 a year. Newly qualified solicitors at US law firm Shearman & Sterling can expect to have a salary of £145,000 a year!

It’s also important to note that the demand for practice areas within the legal profession does fluctuate. During the pandemic, there was an increase in the use of restructuring lawyers, as many businesses had to close, due to a significant drop in demand. Employment lawyers also saw a rise in demand.

Lawyers who work in private practice generally earn a higher salary than lawyers who work in-house (lawyers who work in the legal department for a company, rather than a law firm). Private practice work is pretty broad, compared to working in-house. The work tends to be much narrower in scope and around issues relating to that specific company.

Location

In general, London tends to bring in higher salaries for lawyers, compared to outside of the city.

London is highly regarded as one of the best financial cities in the world, and so it is no surprise that many large corporations have their head-quarters within the capital. For London lawyers, this affects the type of clients they get and the work they complete. Take Latham & Watkins, for example. They are a US law firm and have only one office in the UK- London to be specific. The firm advises many large financial services organisations, such as J.P Morgan.

For lawyers training in London, The Law Society recommends a salary of £23,703 minimum in London and £21,024 for trainees outside London. Barristers who work for top chambers can also expect to earn a higher salary than their counterparts outside of the capital. For pupillage awards for pupil barristers, the Bar Standards Board advises that barristers in London should receive £19,144 per year , whilst those in other regions in the UK should earn a minimum of £17,152.

Salary differences can also be seen within law firms that have offices in various parts of the UK. Take Eversheds Sutherland- they have additional offices in Leeds and Newcastle. Solicitors in these locations earn less than their counterparts in London. For example, a first year trainee solicitor in London can expect to earn around £44,000, whilst a first year trainee outside of London can expect to receive £31,000. GDL grants sit at £7,000 within London, and decrease to £5,000 for those outside of London.

Experience

It’s a common agreement that the more experience you have, the higher your position within a company. Within law firms, partners and senior associates make more than trainee solicitors and paralegals. Within chambers, senior barristers earn a higher salary than junior barristers.

Why? It’s because experience is another factor that dictates a lawyers salary.

Senior barristers usually need at least 15 years of practice to become Queen’s Counsel (QC), a position that provides increased prestige and a higher salary.

It takes about six to nine years for a solicitor to be considered for partnership. Partners generally take on the most complex work associated with a client and often supervise trainee solicitors too. Many partners have worked their way up a firm, and so are in a good position to guide those positions below them. However, trainee solicitors and even newly qualified solicitors are still new in their legal career at a law firm. Thus, they are not expected to be as knowledgeable with the work done, the firm's clients and how that particular law firm operates.

With all this being said however, it is important to remember these factors are not set in stone. A lawyer in the Midlands or Scotland can earn the same amount or even higher, than one in London. It depends on the person as an individual and how valuable a law firm, company or client sees them.

Becoming a Lawyer