Aspiring solicitors on recommended minimum pay should receive a pay rise of 3.99% this year, the Law Society has recommended. That would bring salaries for people on training contracts or carrying out qualifying work experience to £23,703 in the capital and £21,024 elsewhere in England and Wales. 

Recommended salaries were introduced in 2015 as voluntary good practice after the Solicitors Regulation Authority abolished the statutory minimum. The recommended figure is updated annually and will come in to effect in September. 

Law Society vice president Lubna Shuja said the increase is considered to be appropriate at this time. 'It is expected that the rise in inflation will continue. There are a range of factors which will have to be taken into account during our discussions around the minimum salary policy and uplift next year, including the rising cost-of-living expenses and the economic impact that has had, and will have, on solicitors’ businesses.'

She welcomed the decision of several legal businesses to offer one-off hardship payments to lower-salaried employees. 'This will go some way to relieving the strain on junior lawyers’ finances,' Shuja said.  

The recommended minimum applies to anyone undertaking a period of recognised training such as a training contract or anyone employed with the primary purpose of gaining qualifying work experience. The current rates are £22,794 in London and £20,217 elsewhere in England and Wales.