It’s grim down South. That’s the inescapable conclusion of research revealing the best and worst places in England to start a career in the law.

The league table was compiled by Birmingham, Northampton and London firm Witan Solicitors, which scored locations according to average salaries, number of job openings, average rent, disposable income and the ratio of legal jobs to the city’s population. 

Top of the league, with a score of 83.15: Newcastle upon Tyne. ‘A strong balance of salary, affordability, and job availability means that, on average, professionals can expect to retain over 84% of their income after rent,’ Witan concludes. 

In second place comes Manchester: ‘Affordable rents and a strong number of available positions make it highly attractive.’

It is followed by Preston – ‘the city combines affordability and stability’, Leeds – ‘one of the most rewarding cities for lawyers seeking both opportunity and affordability’, and Norwich. Norfolk’s capital ‘performs strongly on affordability and work-life balance’.

The worst? London, which scored a dismal 2.04. ‘Despite having some of the highest salaries in the country, lawyers in the capital can expect to keep around 67% of their income after rent, with intense competition for roles making it the least sustainable city for most practitioners.’

A surprising second-worst is Southend-on-Sea, where ‘high costs and limited opportunities’ dragged down the score to 25.12. The Essex resort was closely followed by Reading, where ‘despite above-average pay, many professionals are left with low disposable incomes and fewer openings per capita’.

Fourth and fifth places were taken by Crawley – ‘high housing costs and limited opportunities’ – and Bristol, where, despite a well-established legal centre, ‘rising living costs and limited affordability place it among the lowest-ranked cities for lawyers’.

‘Our research highlights that lawyers across the North and Midlands can enjoy more of their income and a better quality of life without necessarily compromising their careers,’ Witan’s director Qarrar Somji tells Obiter.

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