In-house salaries fall for newly qualifieds
Average salaries for newly qualified in-house lawyers in the north-west of England fell from £40,000 to £37,000 last year, a new survey by Manchester recruitment consultancy BCL Legal has revealed.
More experienced in-house lawyers, however, saw their pay remain unchanged at £43,000-£60,000 for one to five years’ post-qualification experience (PQE), rising to £65,000-£100,000 for six to 10 years’ PQE.
Almost three-quarters of the lawyers surveyed received a bonus in 2009. Bonuses were calculated as less than one-tenth of salary for the least experienced, to one-fifth of salary for practitioners with 11 or more years’ PQE, giving an average bonus payout of £13,000.
More than half of the respondents received a car allowance worth an average £7,800 and more than eight out of 10 received a pension contribution of, on average, one-tenth of salary. Almost all enjoyed 25 days holiday in 2009 and three-quarters received private medical insurance.
BCL Legal director and head of in-house Mark Levine said: ‘Although the last couple of years have been tough, it is positive to see that talented professionals are still being rewarded. I’m sure starting salaries for newly qualified lawyers will rise over the next couple of years as the recovery continues to take hold.’
Comments
I qualified in May last year
I qualified in May last year unfortunately the firm where I trained had to let me go due to the recession.
Luckily I found a NQ post however the salary leaves a lot to be desired at a mere £18000 p.a.
I also understand the recession has had a huge impact on a lot of firms with cutbacks having to be made.
Whilst I count myself lucky to have a job I am left wondering whether the firm I am currently with simply took advantage of the economic climate at the time and my desperation for a job and continues to take advantage with no hope of a payrise for at least another year.
During the last year I have looked for jobs but there have simply been none in the Newly Qualified sector the situation remains unchanged today. I find that firms have been looking and are still looking for solicitors with 2+PQE with attractive salaries to boot leaving us NQ's who have been victim to the recession with little hope of getting a reasonable salary for the forseeable future
Where do they get it from
I always wonder where these figures come from. Legal 500? I agree with Anon - a realistic level for most NQ's will be £18K with no benefits beyong PC and CPD paid for.
This sort of press does the profession no service. It encourages unrealistic expectations in potential lawyers, job applicants and the public continue to see lawyers as fat cats.
Most high street partners probably earn less and carry huge personal financial responsiblity.
Survey some real lawyers for a change, not those using expensive recruitment agencies.
Possibly why you are having no success
I may be accused of being a stuffy old nit picker, but I wonder if Anonymous at 12:53 made similar grammatical mistakes in his or her applications for better paid roles as he or she has done in the above post. If I recieve a job application for a position in my firm and it doesn't have full stops, commas and capital letters in the correct places, I will discard it as being suggestive of someone who either does not know how to punctuate correctly or is cavalier about accuracy!
Though Anonymous at 12:53 may
Though Anonymous at 12:53 may have known how to spell "receive" correctly. Accuracy, eh?!!
Presumably only FTSE100
Presumably only FTSE100 companies have been consulted in this survey - otherwise there is no way an in-house NQ, working in the North West, gets paid an average of £40-37k.
No way.
In-house salaries in the northwest of England
Thanks everyone for your comments, which are duly noted. I will be contacting BCL Legal to ask them to clarify how they arrived at these figures and will post their reply on this website.
Northwest in-house salaries. BCL Legal response to postings
As promised, I have been back to the recruitment consultancy that carried out the survey of in-house salaries in the northwest. Its response is as follows:
BCL Legal head of in-house Mark Levine said: ‘It's been interesting to read the comments posted by Law Society Gazette readers to the survey. Our findings are firmly based on the direct feedback that we have received from our in-house clients and candidates when questioned, so we can't vouch for the personal experiences or opinions on this forum. The figures presented are averages for quite wide levels of experience and give an overview of the remuneration for our own clients and candidates within this particular sector of the profession in the North West.’
Hope that clarifies matters.
Good results
I know who I'm approaching next time I'm looking for a position. Of course, the cynic in me says that's precisely the point, but it does no harm to ask.
It's all well and good to
It's all well and good to slam these kind of surveys but the in-house sector in the northwest is pretty strong at the moment - I know as I work here. Industry and commerce are picking up - especially around Greater Manchester - so the demand for recruiting in-house over using private practice is gaining pace. The figures may seem high compared to PP but they're not far off the mark as far as I can see.
To ANON: 12.00 - It's hardly
To ANON: 12.00 - It's hardly good news that salaries have fallen but I kind of know (??) what you mean about decent salaries in the NW. I'm based in Preston and it seems businesses are willing to pay a premium and attract good people away from private practice. A better inhouse team often means less of a need to go to large firms which can save money in the long run.
I thought I was reading an
I thought I was reading an article from the Lawyer or Legal Week, but then I checked my browser url and couldn't believe my eyes!