Knowing what you’re likely to be earning as a solicitor will be an important deciding factor when weighing up whether you want to follow this route. And it’s important to bear in mind that solicitor salaries vary depending on the following: size and specialism of the law firm/organisation you work at, your location and of course, level of seniority.

Read on for the lowdown on what you could be earning if you choose to become a solicitor.

Trainee Solicitor Salaries

Trainee solicitor salaries range from approximately ÂŁ19,000 per year in smaller commercial and high street practices right through to around ÂŁ43,000+ per year in larger commercial city law firms.

The recommended minimum salary for a London trainee solicitor is ÂŁ22,212. Outside of London, this is ÂŁ19,619. The average trainee solicitor wage is between ÂŁ35,000 and ÂŁ48,000 in London and ÂŁ18,000-ÂŁ35,000 outside of the capital.

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Qualified Solicitor Salaries

Starting salaries for newly qualified solicitors in larger city law firms range from ÂŁ50,000 to ÂŁ70,000 with some law firms paying up to and in excess of ÂŁ100,000. Starting salaries in regional law firms and high street practices tend to be slightly lower, ranging broadly between ÂŁ22,000 and ÂŁ45,000+.

Partner Salaries

A partner at a law firm can expect to earn from around ÂŁ100,000 per year. Depending on the size and type of law firm, this figure could exceed as much as ÂŁ1,200,000.

In-House Solicitor Salaries

On average, in-house solicitors tend to earn less than private practice solicitors, with salaries ranging from ÂŁ50,000 to ÂŁ100,000, depending on their level of seniority.

Types of Law

There is a disparity between wages depending on which area of law you choose to specialise in. Naturally, areas such as corporate and commercial law are more lucrative, however, while wages offered by criminal law and family firms may be lower, the work is often more rewarding.

Corporate law

As a corporate trainee in London, you could earn up to ÂŁ50,000. Trainee solicitors elsewhere in the UK tend to earn up to ÂŁ39,375. Once you qualify, London-based solicitors earn up to ÂŁ100,000 (sometimes more depending on the firm). Meanwhile, those based outside of the capital earn up to ÂŁ54,000.

Criminal law

Working in London, criminal solicitors earn on average approximately ÂŁ52,500. Outside of London, the average salary for a criminal lawyer ranges from ÂŁ32,000-42,000 depending on the area. In Scotland and Wales, the average salary of a criminal lawyer is just under ÂŁ43,000 whilst in Northern Ireland, the average is around ÂŁ33,000.

Human rights law

A typical salary for human rights solicitors can vary depending on whether you work in a firm or another organisation, where you are based in the UK and of course what level you are at. Annual wages can reach as high as ÂŁ100,000 per annum for human rights lawyers at the top of their game.

Intellectual property law

Trainee solicitors in London can expect to earn from around ÂŁ38,000+, which the figure for non-London based trainees between ÂŁ24,000 and 32,000+.

For newly qualified solicitors, this is likely to be from ÂŁ50,000, and around 10,000 less for non-London based counterparts.

Partner salaries in and outside of London start at around ÂŁ98,000.

Employment law

The average salary of an employment lawyer in the UK is ÂŁ32,500.

Central London boasts the highest salary bracket at between £42,500​ and ​£97,500, with £60,000 forming the average salary. Swindon, the City of London, South West London, West London, East London, Coventry, Bristol, Leeds and southeast London make up the top ten geographies in the UK for the highest average employment lawyer salaries.
Clinical negligence law

Clinical negligence law

The average salary of a fully qualified solicitor specialising in this area is around £43,000 annually. You’ll average around £55,000 if you practice medical negligence law in London.

Predictably, partners make more. In fact, some of them can make as much as ÂŁ300,000 a year. At the other end of the scale, we find the trainees. They usually make something in between ÂŁ25,000-ÂŁ28,000 with those practicing in London making between ÂŁ36,000 and ÂŁ38,000.

Barrister vs Solicitor Salaries
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