When you picture a lawyer, an image of extremely wealthy men and women in power-suits, liaising with clients in expensive restaurants and being chauffeured to their next corporate meeting, may come to mind.
Perpetuated by media representations of the profession, this encourages questions around salaries: what is the average barrister salary? What is a typical solicitor salary?
Training to become a lawyer takes up a huge amount of time and money, so the least you can expect is a little compensation financially once the education part has been completed.
Keen to know how much lawyers actually earn? We’ve compiled the average salaries for both types of lawyers: solicitors and barristers.
However, it’s important to note that actual lawyer salaries vary massively depending on a number of factors: the area of law they work in (for example, corporate lawyers are known to earn a little more than criminal), where in the world you work and the type of law firm you work in – whether it be a bigger, City firm or a smaller, local firm.
Want to know what the top lawyers at Magic Circle firms earn? Take a look at our Magic Circle Law Firms: The Ultimate Guide to find out the average salary of partners at the biggest London firms!
Magic Circle Law Firms: The Ultimate GuideAs previously mentioned, the salaries vary hugely by firm and by practice area, but the information below should serve as a rough guide to the average solicitor salary.
Remember that solicitors must complete a two-year training contract before entering the ‘Post-Qualified Experience’ or ‘PQE’ stage.
| Training Year 1 | Training Year 2 | PQE Year 1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Law | £40,000-£50,000 | £45,000-£55,000 | £70,000-£120,000 |
| Public law | £20,000-£30,000 | £25,000-£35,000 | £35,000-£45,000 |
| Criminal law | £18,000-£25,000 | £20,000-£28,000 | £22,000-£30,000 |
| Family law | £25,000-£35,000 | £30,000-£40,000 | £40,000-£60,000 |
Now see what Magic Circle firm lawyers earn – from trainees to partners!
Similarly, barristers’ salaries fluctuate in line with what area of law the chambers practices.
Remember that barristers must complete a one-year pupillage after which they may be accepted by the chambers as a ‘tenant’.
| Pupillage | Tenancy Year 1 | Tenancy Year 2 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Law | £45,000-£70,000 | £70,000-£150,000 | £80,000-£200,000 |
| Public law | £20,000-£70,000 | £35,000-£80,000 | £40,000-£90,000 |
| Criminal law | £12,000-£20,000 | £14,000-£30,000 | £16,000-£40,000 |
| Family law | £14,000-£35,000 | £16,000-£40,000 | £18,000-£55,000 |
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