This page aims to give you an overview of some statistics that you may want to consider when deciding on law, or if you are contemplating whether to become a barrister or solicitor. You might want to think about the differences in training vacancies, salaries and even the trends in successful applications to university.
| Solicitors | Barristers | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of practising solicitors/barristers (2015) | 133,837 | 15,899 |
| Number of TC/Pupillages available (2015) | 5,457 | 437 |
| Number of Firms/Chambers in the UK (2016) | 10,306 | 409 |
This table compares the salary ranges for solicitors and barristers, from trainee level to those newly qualified.
| Level of experience | Solicitor | Barrister |
|---|---|---|
| Trainee Level | £18,000-43,000+ | £12,000-60,000+ |
| Newly Qualified | £50,000-90,000+ | £73,000-300,000+ |
| Funding for LPC/BPTC | Yes | Yes |
The table below shows the average trainee salary of barristers and solicitors at different types of chambers and firms.
| Type of Firm/Chambers | Solicitor | Barrister |
|---|---|---|
| High street | 18,000 | 12,000 |
| Regional | 27,850 | 17,800 |
| City | 38,679 | 68,333 |
The following table compares the practice area of law with average barristers’ salaries.
| Practice area | Average NQ Barrister Salary |
|---|---|
| Commercial | 70,000 |
| Criminal | 20,000 |
| Family | 20,000 |
The table below shows the number of applications to study law at university in the UK and overseas, as well as the percentage of successful applications.
| UK | Overseas | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of law applications to university in the UK (2015-2016) | 23,885 | 33,010 | 56,895 |
| Number of law students accepted to university in the UK (2015-2016) | 17,335 | 22,320 | 39,655 |
| Percentage of successful applications | 72.5% | 67.6% | 69.7% |
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