London NQ salaries significantly exceed others

Salaries for newly qualified (NQ) solicitors in the UK have seen substantial increases in 2025, with top firms now averaging £118,000. The most notable difference is found in London, where NQ salaries reach £124,000, almost 40% higher than the rest of the UK. Manchester and Birmingham follow with averages of £68,000 and £66,000 respectively, while Belfast trails at £39,000.

The annual report on UK trainee satisfaction published by Chambers, a notable legal rankings and insights company, revealed that despite the large pay packets, long working hours remain a reality. Trainees at London firms typically work 16% more hours than those in the regions, averaging 50 hours per week in Magic Circle firms and 49 hours in US firms, compared to 38 hours in national and regional firms. However, most trainees seem to embrace this trade-off, with only 9% reporting that their hours were too long; this figure rises to 21% among Magic Circle trainees.

Cait Evans, global talent head of research at Chambers and Partners, states “Trainees at the UK’s top firms show high levels of satisfaction across the board and while hours can be long, the vast majority appear to recognise that the increasingly high salaries on qualification, particularly for those based in London and at US and Magic Circle firms, come at a price.”

Across the survey of 1,076 trainees from 95 top firms, there is a notable distinction in preferences based on gender and neurodiversity. Female trainees gravitate towards practice areas like real estate and employment, while neurodivergent trainees often pursue technical law sectors such as intellectual property and technology. The report highlights that 66% of all trainees consider partnership a feasible goal at their current firm, but this number drops to 47% for neurodivergent individuals, suggesting a need for greater support for such employees.

The demographics of trainees reveal a predominance of law graduates (65%), with non-law graduates largely coming from histories in politics or related fields. Interestingly, many trainees at US and Magic Circle firms hail from prestigious backgrounds, with nearly a quarter attending Oxford or Cambridge and over 60% being Russell Group university alumni. However, a more diverse representation is seen in national and regional firms, where about 40% of trainees attended non-Russell Group universities.

Cait Evans elaborates “Looking more closely at trainee preferences, we found that practice areas such as real estate and employment were much more likely to be attractive to women, while neurodivergent trainees felt more comfortable in more technical areas of the law.” The findings stress the importance of firms fostering inclusive environments that address the needs of diverse trainees, particularly those who are neurodivergent or from ethnic minority backgrounds. Evans emphasizes that this data serves as a guide for law firms to develop a culture that is supportive and accommodating.