Law Society encourages firms to boost trainee salary
updated on 01 August 2022
Reading time: one minute
Aspiring solicitors undertaking qualifying work experience (QWE) for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam should be paid £21,024 outside of London and £23,703 in the City, the Law Society of England and Wales announced last week.
Lubna Shuja, the Law Society’s vice president, said: “This increase in the recommended salary for aspiring solicitors 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.
“We are pleased to see some legal businesses have taken steps to offer one-off hardship payments to lower-salaried employees. This will go some way to relieving the strain on junior lawyers’ finances.”
While this suggested bump is not a regulatory requirement, it’s a matter of voluntary good practice. The Law Society updates the recommended minimum salary for trainees each year and has been doing so since 2015, following the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s decision to end its regulatory requirement for minimum trainee salaries. The rise for 2022/23 is 3.99% compared to 1.1% in 2021/22.
Shuja added: “We encourage employers to consider this recommendation when looking at how much they will pay their employees.
“The policy applies to anyone undertaking a period of recognised training (such as a training contract) or anyone employed with the primary purpose of gaining QWE.”
