The Law Society's Trainee Pay Recommendation Rises by 1.9%

The Law Society of England and Wales has upped it's minimum salary for trainee solicitors by 1.9% meaning increases to £19,992 from £19,619 within the regions, and to £22,541 from £22,121 in London.

This comes after the publication of our annual research into trainee salaries which found that 29% of trainees nationally were paid below the minimum recommended. Broken down, 35% of trainees in the regions were paid below the recommended £19,619 and 16% within the capital received a salary below £22,121.

This study also found that nearly half of all trainee respondents UK-wide felt that they are paid below the market rate within their current positions. According to the 2020 Salary and Benefit Benchmarker, the average trainee salary within London reached £30,500 with the regional equivalent being £22,500. 37% of trainees within the regions received payrises within their current roles – 11% higher than those in the capital.

The removal of the regulatory minimum salary in August 2014 enabled firms to pay their trainees no more than the national minimum wage. The new recommended rates are due to be enforced as of 1st May 2020, with the the Law Society urging the providers of training contracts to adopt it's suggestions in line with best practice, quoting that "social background should not be a barrier to entry" into the legal profession. 

As well as consulting with the Junior Lawyers Division, these guidelines are based on the the Consumer Price Index's annual rolling inflation rate (based on data from the Office of National Statistics). An average of the previous 12 months' rate, is used year on year to calculate the recommended minimum salary. 

In the press:

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/recommended-minimum-salary-for-trainees-rises-19/5103249.article

https://www.legalcheek.com/2020/02/law-society-boosts-recommended-minimum-pay-for-trainee-solicitors-by-1-9/

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