JLD attacks SRA move to scrap trainee minimum wage

The Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) of the Law Society has attacked a move by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to amend its minimum wage consultation, which could see trainees earning as little as £2.60 an hour (around £5,400 per year). The JLD has claimed that the SRA amendment, which classes trainee lawyers as apprentices within national minimum wage regulations, will cut off access to the legal profession, making it "the preserve of the rich".

Under the proposals, second-year trainee salaries would go up to an estimated £12,000 (the national minimum wage). However, with the high costs of a university education as well as legal course fees, the JLD argues that to reduce trainee wages in such a potentially drastic manner will deter many aspiring lawyers from less advantaged backgrounds, and negatively impact diversity in the profession.

Heather Iqbal-Rayner, vice-chair of the JLD, said: "Apprentice wages are designed for school leavers who are usually living with their parents and about to enter a profession. Solicitor trainees will have completed four, five or even six years of study by the time they begin a training contract and may have children and mortgages, not to mention a mountain of debt from studying. The profession has a good, recent record on attracting a more diverse range of entrants. Scrapping the minimum salary for trainees could set back that progress and make the solicitors’ profession the preserve of the rich. Only those well off will be able to afford to live on what equates to a less than £5,000 annual salary."