Law Society proposes minimum pay rise for trainee solicitors
updated on 25 July 2025
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The Law Society of England and Wales has recommended a 2.45% salary increase for aspiring solicitors who are completing qualifying work experience or a training contract.
The recommended pay rise, effective from September 2025, means the recommended minimum salary for trainee solicitors will be £24,916 outside of London and £28,090 in the capital. This year’s uplift is lower than previous years: 2024/25 previously saw a 5.18% rise; and the rise in 2023/24 was nearly 10%.
The recommendation is based on the Consumer Price Index’s 12-month rolling average inflation rate and law firms aren’t obligated to implement the recommendation.
Law Society President Richard Atkinson has urged legal employers to adopt the recommended rate as it “could have a positive impact on equality and diversity within the legal profession”.
Atkinson added: “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 qualified work experience.”
However, many law firms, particularly the larger ones, set their trainee salaries at a much higher rate than this. LawCareers.Net’s Training contract directory shows that firms publish their trainee salaries well above the minimum wage, with magic circle and US firms offering in excess of £55,000 a year for first-year trainees.
Use LCN’s Training contract search to compare trainee salaries across firms and find answers to your most common training contract questions.
