Aspiring solicitors should be paid £23,122 outside of London and £26,068 in the capital for qualifying work experience (QWE) or during their training contract, the Law Society said today. The increase of 9.98% is by far the largest recommended by the Society since 2015, when it stepped in after the Solicitors Regulation Authority stopped setting mandatory rates. 

'We consider the increase in the recommended salary for aspiring solicitors to be appropriate at this time,' said Society President Lubna Shuja. 'There are a range of factors that were considered during our discussions around the minimum salary policy and uplift, including the rise in cost-of-living expenses – which have particularly hit those on lower salaries – and the economic impact on solicitors’ businesses.' 

The recommended pay minimum applies to anyone undertaking a period of recognised training, such as a training contract, or anyone employed with the primary purpose of gaining QWE. The figure is reviewed in June each year and comes into effect in September.

The current recommended minimum salary for trainee solicitors is £21,024 outside London and £23,703 in the capital.

 

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