What Were the Average Salaries for Lawyers in 2019?
Legal jobs site Simply Law Jobs has recently released its 2018-19 annual report, which includes a variety of data surrounding lawyers and other legal professionals and their job search.
The report also produced salary insights for the legal industry, based on the categories of jobs recruiters advertised on the legal jobs site, which we have outlined below. The report looks at the difference in actual salaries YoY (2018-19) and the % difference YoY (2018-19).
Looking at the overall average salary on Simply Law Jobs, it rose by 2.24%, from £1,513,341.36 in 2018 to £1,547,247.11 2019.
It may come as no surprise that the category that produced the highest average salary in 2019 was Partner roles. The salary average increased by 10.52% from 2018, rising from £81,808.07 to £90,414.88. A-role recruiters are desperate to seek currently, the rise in average salary seems justified since firms want the most experienced individuals.
Legal Counsel jobs produced the second highest average salary from the jobs site – recorded at £69,784.77 in 2019 – a 12.83% increase from 2019.
The average salary for Head of Legal roles grew yet again this year, by 12.59%. The actual average salary for 2018 was £60,676.14, which climbed to £68,317.31 in 2019.
The average salary for Head of Legal roles grew yet again this year, by 12.59%. The actual average salary for 2018 was £60,676.14, which climbed to £68,317.31 in 2019.
Patent Attorney jobs had its highest average salary ever recorded on Simply Law Jobs in 2019, which came out at £63,932.43. This was a 3.02% increase from 2018.
Solicitor jobs saw a rise in average salary too, from £48,854.14 to £52,098.30. This was recorded as a 6.6.% increase. Demand for talented solicitors is high in the UK, so the increase was expected as law firms and other companies attempt to compete with each other to attract the most valuable individuals.
The average salary for Associate jobs also rose by 10.06%, while Barrister jobs actually dropped by 3.17%.
The average salary for Paralegal jobs dropped in 2019 by 6.53%, from £25,448.44 to £23,787.28.
Legal Secretary jobs also dropped by 3.21%. The average salary recorded in 2019 was £21,629.27.
The average salary for Legal Executive jobs increased by 1.03%, rising from £41,687.86 to £42,117.67.
Simply Law Jobs also looked at the overall average salary for Fee Earner roles. The average salary decreased in 2019 significantly, by 12.08%, dropping from £43,214.96 to £37,996.43
Duty Solicitor roles also decreased from £40,779.22 to £38,610.55. Legal Assistant jobs also decreased by 11.37%, and graduate/trainee jobs saw a significant drop by 24.56%. The average salary in 2018 was £20,016.78. In 2019, it dropped to £15,101.01.
If you would like to find out more about professionals searching for jobs in the legal industry, you can download the Simply Law Jobs report here.
