Key facts
- ONS earnings data does not report trainee or newly qualified solicitor pay separately.
- ONS (2026 provisional): median full-time pay for solicitors and lawyers is £57,198 a year; the 25th percentile is £41,654 and the 75th £80,734.
- Since 2026 the Law Society's guidance is to pay people doing QWE at least the real Living Wage: £15.45 (check the official website) an hour in London, £14.10 (check the official website) elsewhere.
- City example: Macfarlanes pays NQs £150,000, the Magic Circle level, and first-year trainees £60,000 from September 2026.
- Regional example: Eversheds Sutherland raised NQ pay to £80,000 in the regions and £120,000 in London (reported July 2026).
How much do trainee and newly qualified solicitors earn?
ONS earnings data does not separate trainee or newly qualified (NQ) solicitors. It puts the median full-time job in its “solicitors and lawyers” group at £57,198 a year (tax year to April 2026, provisional). For trainees the legal floor is the minimum wage; at the City firm Macfarlanes, first-year trainees earn £60,000 and NQs £150,000. (ONS, ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 14) (GOV.UK, minimum wage rates) (The Lawyer, 2 July 2026 (secondary source))
This page puts together what can be checked: ONS earnings data for solicitors as a whole, the pay floors that apply during qualifying work experience (QWE), and dated examples from firms in London and the regions.
What does ONS data say solicitors earn?
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) gives the spread of pay for full-time employee jobs. The table shows the occupation “solicitors and lawyers”, the group “legal professionals not elsewhere classified” and, for comparison, all full-time jobs.
| Point in the distribution | Solicitors and lawyers | Legal professionals n.e.c. | All full-time jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | £37,205 | £27,113 | £28,857 |
| 25th percentile | £41,654 | £28,116 | £30,600 |
| 30th percentile | £45,106 | £30,192 | £32,393 |
| 40th percentile | £50,861 | £34,611 | £36,398 |
| Median | £57,198 | £40,000 | £40,911 |
| 60th percentile | £66,215 | – | £46,367 |
| 70th percentile | £75,222 | – | £52,647 |
| 75th percentile | £80,734 | – | £56,842 |
Source: Office for National Statistics, ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (occupation codes 2412 and 2419), public sector information under the Open Government Licence v3.0; rounded to whole pounds. “–” marks estimates the ONS does not publish because they are unreliable (coefficient of variation over 20%); for the same reason there is no 10th, 80th or 90th percentile for solicitors. (ONS, ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 14)
Occupation data, not the effect of a qualification. The figures describe jobs, not what qualifying adds to anyone’s pay. They cover the whole UK, every type of employer and every stage of a career. Annual figures include only employees who had been in the same job for more than a year, and ASHE does not cover the self-employed. The mean for solicitors and lawyers, £74,738, is far above the median, because a relatively small number of high-paying jobs pulls it up; the ONS prefers the median as the measure of typical pay. (ONS, ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 14)
The second column matters if you are gaining QWE outside a training contract. In the current classification, the ONS moved job titles such as paralegal, legal executive, conveyancer and litigation executive into “legal professionals n.e.c.”; lawyers are counted together with solicitors. (ONS, SOC 2020 Volume 1)
What are the pay floors during qualifying work experience?
- The law: a worker aged 21 or over is due at least the National Living Wage, £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026 – £24,785 a year for a 37.5-hour week. (GOV.UK, minimum wage rates)
- The Law Society’s guidance: since 2026, at least the real Living Wage for people doing QWE – for 2026-27, £15.45 (check the official website) an hour in London and £14.10 (check the official website) elsewhere, or £30,128 and £27,495 a year for a 37.5-hour week. (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source)) (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage)
- No regulatory minimum: the SRA stopped setting one in 2014. (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source))
What changed in 2026, and how to check an offer against these floors, is explained in no minimum trainee salary: what the real Living Wage means.
How does pay differ between London and the regions?
The reference points for trainees differ by region. The Law Society’s last recommended minimum, for 2025/26, was £28,090 in London and £24,916 elsewhere – £3,174 apart. (Law Society Gazette, 22 July 2025 (secondary source)) The real Living Wage has a separate, higher London rate. (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage)
At the firms below, the gap between London and regional pay is far larger after qualifying. Dated examples:
- Eversheds Sutherland raised its NQ salaries to £120,000 in London and £80,000 in the regions (reported 30 July 2026). (Legal Cheek, 30 July 2026 (secondary source))
- BCLP is raising its NQ salaries from 1 January 2027 to £135,000 in London and to £80,000 in Manchester and Southampton. (Legal Cheek, 22 October 2026 (secondary source)) Its Manchester trainees earn £33,000 in the first year and £37,000 in the second (reported 2 June 2026). (Legal Cheek, 2 June 2026 (secondary source))
ONS earnings by region for this occupation are published in ASHE Table 15; when we checked, the ONS had delayed the 2026 edition. (ONS, ASHE Table 15)
How does pay differ by type of employer?
- City firms: Macfarlanes pays NQs £150,000, the level paid by the Magic Circle firms, and is raising first-year trainee pay to £60,000 and second-year pay to £65,000 from September 2026 (reported 2 July 2026). (The Lawyer, 2 July 2026 (secondary source))
- Large firms with regional offices: the Eversheds Sutherland and BCLP examples above – £80,000 for NQs outside London, and £33,000 for first-year trainees in Manchester at BCLP.
- Smaller firms, legal aid, in-house teams and the public sector: we found no comparable dated reports, so we give no figures. Use the ONS percentiles and the pay floors as reference points and ask employers for their scales.
These are single examples from the legal press, not a survey. They come from large firms that publish their pay; compare them with the ONS spread above before treating them as typical.
What do the career stages look like?
| Stage | What it involves | Pay reference |
|---|---|---|
| QWE (trainee, paralegal or other role) | Two years’ full-time or equivalent, in up to four organisations, confirmed by a solicitor or COLP | Legal minimum; real Living Wage under the Law Society’s guidance; firm examples |
| Newly qualified solicitor | Admitted after SQE1, SQE2, QWE and the character and suitability checks | Firm examples above; no separate ONS figure |
| Employed solicitor, any stage | Private practice, in-house or public sector | ONS percentiles: median £57,198 |
Requirements: (SRA, qualifying work experience) (SRA, SQE route). Our hub how to become a solicitor walks through the stages in order.
How do you compare two offers?
- Put both on the same basis: annual salary ÷ (weekly hours × 52) gives the hourly rate.
- Allow for location. A London salary has to cover London costs; the gap between the two real Living Wage rates is one neutral yardstick.
- Count exam funding. If an employer pays for SQE1 (£2,006 (check the official website)) and SQE2 (£3,086 (check the official website)), that is £5,092 in 2026/27 fees you do not pay yourself.
- Ask about QWE confirmation. Who will confirm your experience, and does the role give you the chance to develop the solicitor competences? (SRA, qualifying work experience)
- Ask what happens on qualifying. The examples above show how much pay can change at NQ level.
The solicitor qualification cost calculator adds up what qualifying costs you, with and without funding.
What this means for you
Plan with the floors and the ONS spread, not with the headline City numbers. A trainee salary at or above the real Living Wage is consistent with the Law Society’s guidance; the large figures in the press come from individual firms. If pay matters to your choice between employers, look at the whole package – hours, location, exam funding and the salary on qualifying. This page is general information, not careers or financial advice.
Common mistakes when reading salary figures
- Treating City salaries as typical. Even the regional NQ examples on this page are well above the ONS median for all solicitors.
- Reading the mean as typical. For solicitors and lawyers the mean is £74,738 and the median £57,198. (ONS, ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 14)
- Reading ONS figures as starting pay. They cover every stage of a career, and annual figures leave out anyone who had been in their job for less than a year.
- Comparing salaries without hours. The same salary over 40 hours a week is a lower hourly rate than over 35.
- Expecting the qualification to set your pay. Occupation data shows what jobs pay, not what a qualification adds.
What does this page cover?
- Last updated
- Based on
- ONS ASHE 2026 provisional (Table 14.7a); GOV.UK and Living Wage Foundation rates; the Law Society’s recommendation as reported by the Law Society Gazette; dated firm examples from The Lawyer and Legal Cheek
- Includes
- Pay floors during QWE, the ONS pay spread for solicitors, London and regional examples, career stages
- Not included
- Take-home pay after tax, bonuses, profit shares, regional ONS estimates (not yet published for 2026), pay outside England and Wales
Frequently asked questions
How much does a trainee solicitor earn in 2026?
ONS data gives no separate figure for trainees. The legal minimum for a worker aged 21 or over is £12.71 an hour, and the Law Society's guidance is at least the real Living Wage. The examples on this page run from £33,000 in the first year at BCLP in Manchester to £60,000 at Macfarlanes in London from September 2026.
What is the salary of a newly qualified solicitor?
ONS data does not separate NQs. At large firms that publish pay, the examples on this page run from £80,000 in the regions (Eversheds Sutherland; BCLP from January 2027) to £150,000 in the City, the level paid by the Magic Circle firms.
What is the average solicitor salary in the UK?
For full-time jobs in the ONS group solicitors and lawyers, the median is £57,198 a year and the mean £74,738 (tax year ending 5 April 2026, provisional). A quarter of jobs pay less than £41,654, and a quarter more than £80,734.
Do solicitors earn more in London?
The reference points for trainees are higher in London: the Law Society's last recommendation was £28,090 in London and £24,916 elsewhere, and the real Living Wage has a higher London rate. At the large firms on this page the gap grows on qualifying, for example £120,000 against £80,000 for NQs at Eversheds Sutherland.
What do paralegals earn?
The ONS now counts paralegals, legal executives and conveyancers among legal professionals n.e.c., a group that also includes other legal roles. The median full-time pay in that whole group is £40,000 a year (2026 provisional), across all experience levels.
Is there a minimum salary for trainee solicitors?
No regulatory minimum: the SRA stopped setting one in 2014, and in 2026 the Law Society replaced its recommended figure with guidance to pay at least the real Living Wage. The National Living Wage still applies to workers by law.
Related tools and pages
Sources
- Office for National Statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0): Earnings and hours worked, occupation by four-digit SOC: ASHE Table 14 – 2026 provisional, Tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross), 14.7b (coefficients of variation) and 14.9a (paid hours worked, total), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom (22 October 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Office for National Statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0): Earnings and hours worked, region by occupation by four-digit SOC: ASHE Table 15 – notice of 22 October 2026 on the delayed 2026 edition. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups – section 5 and table 4 (legal occupations). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- The Law Society Gazette (legal news, secondary source): Society quietly abandons minimum trainee pay benchmark (25 September 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- The Law Society Gazette (legal news, secondary source): Society recommends 2.45% pay rise for trainees (22 July 2025). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Living Wage Foundation: What is the real Living Wage?. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- The Lawyer (legal news, secondary source): Macfarlanes ups NQ pay to magic circle rates (2 July 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Legal Cheek (legal news, secondary source): Eversheds Sutherland boosts NQ lawyer pay: £120k London, £80k regions (30 July 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Legal Cheek (legal news, secondary source): BCLP boosts London NQ lawyer pay to £135k (22 October 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Legal Cheek (legal news, secondary source): BCLP confirms it boosted NQ lawyer pay to £125k earlier this year (2 June 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: Qualifying work experience (26 January 2024). Accessed 25 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) route (August 2025). Accessed 25 October 2026.
- Personnel Today (HR news, secondary source): Real Living Wage increase announced for 2026-27 (15 October 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: Reports find SQE to be robust with improvements made (including SQE fees for 2026/27) (21 April 2026). Accessed 25 October 2026.
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