Law Society raises recommended minimum salary for trainees

The Law Society of England and Wales has increased the recommended minimum salary for trainees by 1.9 per cent to £19,992 outside London and £22,541 in the capital.

The new rate comes will come into effect on 1 May 2020. Employers have been encouraged to implement the increase as soon as they can, and at least within six months of the rate coming into effect.

The Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society (JLD) has been campaigning to improve pay for trainees since the mandatory rate was scrapped by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in 2014.

JLD chair Charlotte Parkinson said: “Many junior lawyers leave education with significant levels of debt – particularly where they have had to self-fund their Legal Practice Course – and it is important that they are paid a fair rate and able to repay that debt.

“The JLD urges all employers to pay the Law Society’s recommended minimum salary and ensure that talented junior lawyers are not deterred from entering the profession because of their financial background.”

The recommended minimum salary was introduced by the Law Society in 2015. Law Society president Simon Davis said: “The solicitor profession offers an incredibly fulfilling career and nobody should face unnecessary financial barriers to entry.

“I encourage all law firms to adopt this recommendation, pay their trainees a fair minimum salary for their hard work and encourage greater social mobility. 

“Our vision is that solicitors at every stage of their career can be confident that their talent, ability and work ethic will be rewarded irrespective of background, gender or ethnicity."

For more on the JLD’s campaign to reinstate the mandatory minimum wage for trainees and why it matters read: Social mobility takes a hit online and in the March edition of the magazine.