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As a trainee solicitor myself I fully appreciate that you cannot expect to "demand" a salary and like many trainees, I do not have a sense of entitlement! I fully appreciate that I am one of the lucky ones, however like many others I worked hard to get to the position I am in and also like many others, funded my LPC by putting myself into debt to better myself. By the time you actually get to be a trainee solicitor (assuming like me you eventually get there!) you have a degree, an LPC and most likely a few years legal experience - how is it fair that you are then earning with the same salary as a school leaver working in say mcdonalds? A fully qualified solicitor of 6years+ for example would not be happy if the salary they were offered was not equivalent to their qualifications and experience. Training Contracts are like gold dust and to be honest I would have taken one on minimum wage, however hard it may have been financially, because that was my end goal. Whilst I appreciate that the abolition of the minimum trainee wage may allow some firms to take on trainees, I personally feel that the salary is not the deciding factor to a firm who are considering trainees - it is often the lack of time and inclination to train someone when firms can immediately employ fully capable people who can straight away take on a role without the "extras" that come with taking a trainee such as the psc course, reviews etc.