What our salary survey says about Personal Injury

Our latest Douglas Scott salary survey has been out for some time now, and we have crunched a lot of numbers, whether it be statistics around working hours or looking at legal support workers in comparison to fee earners. However, one area we haven’t yet looked at is personal injury and clinical negligence law.  

So, in terms of salary, what is the headline number? Well, the current average salary for people in the personal injury and litigation sector across the country is £50,262. For comparison, across the legal sector the average is around £55,360 – covering every vertical and every level, so there will be some very well-paid lawyers bringing that figure up! However, it isn’t too far outside the bounds of variance, and in terms of each region, the numbers fit in with the broader market. (You can see more about these numbers in our complete salary survey, which you can download here.) Regarding what people think about their salary, 45% felt it was below the market rate, with another 48% saying they were being paid at the market rate, (the remaining 7% felt their pay was either above the market rate or weren’t sure). Interestingly, 50% of respondents had received a pay rise in their current role, so clearly, there are some attempts to remedy these concerns from employers. 35% of respondents also said they received a bonus at the end of the year, while 42% did not. Again, like with salaries, this was broadly in line with the average across the country; a large number of respondents seemed not to be getting one. Half were also fairly neutral on their bonus package, with 20% actively unhappy with it.   

Despite some concerns around salaries in certain sectors, there seems to be a high level of happiness in the legal sector. 56% of people are happy in their current role, in contrast to the 25% who were unhappy, (19% didn’t have an opinion either way). This has translated into the number of people unlikely to change roles, with 50% saying they weren’t looking to move. However, for those looking to change, progression was the most common reason for leaving a role (24% said this), with a salary increase and benefits the second most common and qualifying and personal reasons being tied in third. 73% of those who did move secured a pay rise when they moved, indicating that it still does pay to move, despite people feeling comfortable where they are. Looking at benefits, the most common benefit in the market was agile working, with 64% saying their employer offered this. It was also the most valued benefit across the market, with 32% choosing it. Flexible working times were the second most popular, at 20%, while extra holiday allocation was third, at 12%. Finally, regarding aspirational factors, 62% of people in this sector aspire to management positions, and 45% think they can achieve this with their current firm.   

It seems like there are some interesting things to be gleaned from our salary survey about the personal injury sector. These numbers are similar to the national averages, though some variance is expected in some areas. While it doesn’t seem like there’s any great rush for people to move again, it does seem like there might be some issues if they are left unchecked regarding salaries and bonuses, and it is something that will be interesting to compare with next year’s survey.