Two solicitors with the same PQE, the same practice area and the same qualifications can be paid very differently. In my years as a recruiter, the question I hear most is some version of “am I being paid fairly?” This guide explains what sets a solicitor’s salary, how London compares with the Midlands and the Home Counties, and how to test your own pay.

I’m not going to quote a single “average NQ salary” here. The figure depends so heavily on firm type and location that an average hides more than it shows. I’m building Leto’s own benchmarks from live offers and will publish them once there is enough data to be useful. Until then, this guide shows you how to work it out for yourself.

The six things that set a solicitor’s salary

1. Firm type. US firms and the largest City firms pay the most, followed by other City firms, national firms, regional firms and high-street practices. The gap is widest at NQ level.

2. Location. London pays the most on paper. Milton Keynes, Northampton, Birmingham, Nottingham and the Home Counties pay less in headline terms, but the gap often narrows once you take out commuting costs, housing and the hours lost travelling.

3. Practice area. Corporate, finance, funds, regulatory and tech-related teams tend to pay premiums when demand is high. Areas with steadier demand move more slowly.

4. PQE. Pay climbs fastest in the first five years, then flattens unless you step up to senior associate, counsel, legal director or partner.

5. Billable target. A higher salary usually comes with a higher target. Compare pay against expected hours, not the headline figure alone.

6. Bonus and benefits. Discretionary bonuses, pension contributions, private healthcare and flexible working all have real value. Look at the whole package.

How to tell if you’re underpaid

• Compare yourself with lawyers at the same PQE, in the same practice area, at the same type of firm, in the same city. Change one of those and the comparison stops being fair.

• Divide your total package by your realistic annual hours, including the non-billable time nobody records.

• Check whether your firm publishes salary bands. Many larger firms do for associates.

• For wider pay data across occupations, the Office for National Statistics publishes earnings and working hours data. It won’t tell you what a corporate senior associate earns in Milton Keynes, but it helps you sense-check regional differences.

• Speak to a specialist recruiter. We see live offers every week and can tell you where you sit, in confidence. Get in touch with Leto.

London versus the Midlands and the Home Counties

London salaries are higher, and so is almost everything around them. Season tickets, rent and long days at the office all come out of the same pay packet. A solicitor in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Birmingham or Nottingham may take home a smaller headline figure and keep more of it, with more of their week back. That is why I always ask candidates to compare the real cost of a role, not just the number on the offer letter. I look at this in more detail in my guide to legal, compliance and operations jobs in Milton Keynes, Northampton and the South Midlands.

Qualifying through the SQE

NQ salaries now apply to solicitors qualifying through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) as well as the older LPC route. Firms increasingly look at the quality of a candidate’s qualifying work experience rather than the label on how they qualified. If you hire, my guide to the SQE and legal hiring explains what to look for.

Negotiating a better salary

• Research the market rate before any pay conversation.

• Negotiate the whole package: bonus, hours, flexibility and progression.

• Get any offer in writing before you resign.

• Think hard before accepting a counter-offer. See my guide on whether to accept a counter-offer.

• If you are weighing a move in-house, read moving from private practice to in-house first. Base pay can be lower, but the package and the hours often make up for it.

FAQs

What is the average NQ solicitor salary in the UK? It depends heavily on firm type and location, which is why a single average isn’t much use. Compare like with like using the checklist above.

Do in-house lawyers earn less than private practice lawyers? Base pay is often lower than at top City firms, but many in-house roles offer bonuses, share schemes and better hours. See moving from private practice to in-house.

Where can I check a solicitor’s status? Use the Solicitors Register, maintained by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Want to know what you should be earning? Get in touch with Leto for a confidential conversation.

Sources and further reading: ONS: earnings and working hours, SRA: the SQE route, SRA: Solicitors Register.