How much will you earn as a trainee solicitor?

The targetjobs Law team has surveyed graduate recruiters about starting salaries for their next intake of trainee solicitors – and their salaries for newly qualified solicitors at the end of their two-year training contract (also known as a 'period of recognised training' or even ‘qualifying work experience’ under the new qualification route).

The majority of firms advertising with us have increased their trainee salaries since we surveyed them last year. Starting salaries at nearly all of the advertising London firms are at least £40,000, with some as high as £60,000 for law graduate jobs .

Who pays the highest training contract starting salaries among commercial law firms?

Fierce competition for outstanding candidates means that the big international and City firms offer generous graduate salaries. For example, most City firms are offering salaries between £40,000 and £60,000 to first-year trainees. Within City firms, US firms with London offices have tended to offer the highest salaries to their trainees, but you can see below that many UK-based firms are also offering £50,000 to trainees in their first year. Salaries on qualification as a solicitor are also generous, with City, international and US firms offering between £75,000 and £140,000.

Salaries are lower outside London, in line with the local cost of living. For example, Bristol firm Burges Salmon pays £44,000 to its trainees and £60,000 to newly qualified solicitors (NQs).

Round up of training contract starting salaries and on qualification

• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Ashurst LLP – £52,000/£110,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Akin Gump – £57,500/$215,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Baker McKenzie LLP – £50,000/£118,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Bates Wells - £41,000/£70,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Boodle Hatfield - £45,000/£83,000.
• Starting and newly qualified salaries at Burges Salmon LLP – £44,000/£60,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Clifford Chance - £50,000/£125,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Clyde & Co – £42,000/£80,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at CMS – £50,000/£105,000 (London), £31,500/£60,000 (Manchester and Sheffield), £43,000/£68,000 (Bristol).
• Starting salaries at Covington & Burling LLP – £50,000+/£151,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Dentons - £48,000/£92,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at DLA Piper LLP – £50,000 (London), /£100,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at DWF Group Plc – £38,000 (London), £26,000 (Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool & Birmingham), £22,000 (Scotland)/Variable.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Fox Williams - £44,000/£77,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Herbert Smith Freehills - £50,000/£120,000.
• Starting salaries at Irwin Mitchell – £41,500 (London)/£75,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Kennedys – £41,000 (London), £29,000 (regions), £22,000 (Scotland)/Variable.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Latham & Watkins LLP – £50,000/$215,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Macfarlanes LLP – £50,000/£115,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP – £50,000 (first year trainee), £55,000 (second year trainee/£150,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (UK) LLP – £55,000/£140,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Osborne Clarke LLP – £45,000–51,500 depending on location/£91,500 (London).
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at RPC – £44,000 (first year London), £48,000 (second year London) £38,000, £40,000 (second year Bristol).
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Slaughter and May - £50,000/£125,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Stephenson Harwood LLP – £48,500/£95,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Vinsons & Elkins – £60,000/£173,822.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP – £60,000/£170,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Wilsons - £27,000/£46,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Withers - £45,000/£90,000.
• Starting/newly qualified salaries at Womble Bond Dickinson - ££42,000/£78,000.

Recommended minimum salary for trainee solicitors

Currently, the Law Society recommends that providers of training contracts should pay their trainees a minimum salary of £26,068 in London and £23,122 outside of London. Note that this new minimum wage is recommended by the profession's representative body (the Law Society) rather than the profession's regulator (the SRA) so it is not enforceable, but is recommended as good practice.

What about the benefits law firms offer?

Use our employer hub pages when researching which firms to apply to and you’ll see that law firms will throw in other great benefits, such as sponsorship for the solicitors qualifying examination (SQE) or legal practice course (LPC), subsidised restaurants and gym membership, in-house medical services and, occasionally, bonuses.