Solicitor Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 127,000 jobs.
Median salary
£53,314
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 6.8% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£56,977
Part-time only
£32,997
Mean
£68,462
Jobs measured
127,000
What a typical solicitor takes home
On the median of £53,314, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£3,457
Take-home a year
£41,480
Income Tax
£8,758
National Insurance
£3,077
What most solicitors actually earn
Half of solicitors earn between £37,751 and £74,190. Earning above £74,190 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of solicitors earn less than this.
Solicitor salary by region
8 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £75,537 | £105,475 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £54,992 | £54,984 |
| South East | £51,226 | £57,644 |
| Scotland | £49,581 | £47,130 |
| East | £46,606 | £48,127 |
| East Midlands | £45,139 | £49,812 |
| North West | £44,311 | £47,387 |
| West Midlands | £44,221 | £47,725 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Solicitors and lawyers
- SOC 2020 code
- 2412
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “solicitor” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “Solicitors and lawyers”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS group combines solicitors and lawyers; in-house and private practice are not separated.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Solicitor salary FAQs
What is the average Solicitor salary in the UK?
The median is £53,314 a year and the mean is £68,462, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £56,977 and part-time employees £32,997.
How much does a solicitor earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £30.66 excluding overtime, or £30.83 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Solicitor salary?
Half of solicitors earn between £37,751 and £74,190. Anything above £74,190 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a solicitor?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of solicitors earn under £26,807 and the lowest quarter under £37,751 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has solicitor pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +6.8% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many solicitors are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 127,000 employee jobs in “Solicitors and lawyers” (SOC 2412) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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