jobfacts

Solicitor

Solicitors and lawyers — SOC 2020 2412

Solicitors advise and act on behalf of individuals, organisations, businesses and government departments in legal matters.

Also calledLawyerAssociateProbate lawyerCommercial lawyerProperty lawyerWill lawyerand 22 more titles
Typical full-time pay£57,0002025 Provisional
People in the job216,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month5,200↓ 13%on last year · 29th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time solicitors earn between £42,000 and £77,500 a year.

What full-time solicitors earn, 2025
£57,000 typical£29,300lowest 10%£42,00025%£85,000top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£42,000–£77,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£29,300
Lowest 20% earn less than£38,000
25%£42,000
Median£57,000
75%£77,500
Top 20% earn more than£85,000
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £57,000
London£78,000
Yorkshire and The Humber!£59,900
South East!£53,300
Scotland!£50,200
North West!£48,900
West Midlands!£48,100
East Midlands!£46,200
North East!£43,200
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £57,000
London£78,000
Yorkshire and The Humber£59,900 (small sample)
South East£53,300 (small sample)
Scotland£50,200 (small sample)
North West£48,900 (small sample)
West Midlands£48,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£46,200 (small sample)
North East£43,200 (small sample)
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £52,000
  • 2024 £51,500
  • 2025 Provisional£57,000
↑ 9.6% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 5,200 jobs for solicitors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026Not published
Jul 20265,597
Jun 20265,514
May 20265,453
Apr 20264,621
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20264,634
Jan 20265,286
Dec 20253,049
Nov 20255,602
Oct 20255,850
Sept 20255,935
Aug 20256,233
Jul 20256,557
Jun 20257,491
May 20257,578
Apr 20255,997
Mar 20257,030
Feb 20256,926
Jan 20255,741
Dec 20243,499
Nov 20244,879
Oct 20245,426
Sept 20245,082
Aug 20245,159
Jul 20245,351
Jun 20245,083
May 20245,707
Apr 20245,477
Mar 20244,982
Feb 20245,175
Jan 20246,810
Dec 20235,249
Nov 20235,559
Oct 20236,058
Sept 20235,327
Aug 20235,612
Jul 20236,807
Jun 20237,656
May 20237,477
Apr 20236,386
Mar 20238,072
Feb 20237,578
Jan 20238,795
Dec 20227,191
Nov 20228,669
Oct 20228,316
Sept 20227,747
Aug 20227,291
Jul 20228,489
Jun 20228,122
May 20227,668
Apr 20227,559
Mar 20227,821
Feb 20227,549
Jan 20228,337
Dec 20216,792
Nov 20217,479
Oct 20217,735
Sept 20217,871
Aug 20217,585
Jul 20218,280
Jun 20218,152
May 20218,184
Apr 20218,128
Mar 20219,471
Feb 20216,692
Jan 20217,931
Dec 20205,435
Nov 20206,093
Oct 20206,015
Sept 20206,276
Aug 20205,193
Jul 20205,585
Jun 20204,812
May 20204,810
Apr 20206,447
Mar 202011,197
Feb 202010,572
Jan 202010,296
Dec 20197,420
Nov 20199,561
Oct 20199,554
Sept 20199,875
Aug 201910,857
Jul 201913,289
Jun 201911,435
May 201912,312
Apr 20197,650
Mar 20199,220
Feb 20199,037
Jan 201910,020
Dec 20187,039
Nov 20188,806
Oct 20188,220
Sept 20188,775
Aug 20188,007
Jul 20187,650
Jun 20187,797
May 20187,773
Apr 20187,442
Mar 20188,368
Feb 20187,799
Jan 20188,126
Dec 20176,539
Nov 20175,726
Oct 20176,189
Sept 20175,898
Aug 20175,965
Jul 20175,095
Jun 20176,717
May 20176,819
Apr 20175,491
Mar 20176,205
Feb 20175,307
Jan 20177,563
Is there a shortage of solicitors?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was critical.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
46%against 27% for all jobs
DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London2,508
Manchester1,077
Brighton and Hove704
Birmingham663
Leeds636
Bristol, City of534
Glasgow City318
Liverpool316
Cardiff272
Newcastle upon Tyne236
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where solicitors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 742 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Australia, United States, Germany, ranking it 22nd of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of solicitors
6.3%!
32%
26%
20%
13%
2.5%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–246.3% (small sample)
25–3432%
35–4426%
45–5420%
55–6413%
65+2.5% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent97%
Higher education below degree!0.8%
A levels or equivalent!1.6%
GCSEs or equivalent–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent97%
Higher education below degree0.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent1.6% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalentNot published

Main employers: legal activities (57%), justice and judicial activities (17%), general public administration activities (5.3%), activities of professional membership organisations (4.4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
97%
as their highest qualification
Registration
SRA
required to practise: Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
Apprenticeships
1
from level 7
Apprenticeships take
6 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

To qualify as a solicitor, you must:

  • take an undergraduate degree in any subject, or equivalent qualification, in any subject
  • pass parts 1 and 2 of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE)
  • complete 2 years (or equivalent if part-time) qualifying work experience
  • meet the character and suitability requirements of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

Though your degree does not have to be in law, you will need some legal knowledge to pass the SQE.

To study law at some universities you'll need to pass the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT).

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 3 A levels or equivalent

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Solicitor Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship to start on the path to qualifying as a solicitor.

This route includes the completion of a law degree and usually takes around 5 to 6 years. You'll need your employer's support to join it.

You'll also need to pass the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), which has 2 parts, and do 2 years' qualifying work experience.

The apprenticeship will prepare you for the SQE exams.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • 3 A levels or equivalent

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start with a legal firm and do on-the-job training like the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) Level 6 Professional Diploma in Higher Law and Practice.

You would then need to:

  • pass parts 1 and 2 of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE)
  • show you have 2 years of qualifying work experience, or equivalent, if part time
  • meet the character and suitability requirements of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)

Another option is to complete a Paralegal Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship then move on to the solicitor degree apprenticeship route.

Other routes

If you started a qualifying law degree, Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or Legal Practice Course (LPC) before 2021, you will be able to continue to qualify as a solicitor by the traditional route until 2032.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Competition for solicitor roles is strong so you need to show that you have consistently good grades as you progress through your education.

Getting work experience in different types of legal settings can help you to stand out and show your commitment. There are diversity work experience schemes to encourage under-represented groups into the legal profession.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join The Law Society for professional development, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out more about the training routes to become a solicitor through:

  • LawCAB
  • The Law Society
  • Law Careers.Net
  • All About Law

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for solicitor. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job
Level 7About 6 years

Solicitor

You gain
Solicitor Qualifying Exam (SQE) 1; Solicitor Qualifying Exam (SQE) 2
Registration
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
Employers may ask for
Individual employers will identify any relevant entry requirements in terms of previous qualifications or other criteria. The Solicitors Regulation Authority…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • draws up contracts, leases, wills and other legal documents
  • undertakes legal business on behalf of client in areas of business law, criminal law, probate, conveyancing and litigation, and acts as trustee or executor if required
  • instructs counsel in higher and lower courts and pleads cases in lower courts as appropriate
  • scrutinises statements, reports and legal documents relevant to the case being undertaken and prepares papers for court
  • represents clients in court

Skills

  • analyse legal evidence
  • compile legal documents
  • interpret law
  • negotiate in legal cases
  • negotiate lawyer's fee
  • observe confidentiality
  • present arguments persuasively
  • present legal arguments
  • protect client interests
  • represent clients in courts
  • respond to enquiries
  • advise on legal compliance for participation in financial markets
  • advise on legal decisions
  • analyse enforceability

Knowledge

  • court procedures
  • legal case management
  • air transport law
  • anti-dumping law
  • architecture regulations
  • business law
  • civil law
  • civil process order

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business, media and public service professionals, a group of 32 jobs that includes solicitors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 26%about 670,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20352.1 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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