Law
Lawyers perform a valuable role, as law is involved in every aspect of society - from the age you can take your driving test to the speed you can drive when you qualify; from the minimum wage you can expect to earn in a job to the cleanness of the water you drink.
The first thing to know is that traditionally, the legal profession is divided into two main branches – solicitors and barristers. However, these are not the only types of lawyer and there are chartered legal executives, paralegals, apprentices and more.
Related subjects
English
History
Business
Related skills
Communication
Analytical
Problem solving
Related jobs
Barrister
Solicitor
Legal executive
Labour Market Information- Law
There are currently 143,167 solicitors with practising certificates in the UK and 188,868 on the roll of solicitors.
There are approximately 24,000 barristers and judges currently in the UK.
The number of women with practising solicitor certificates in 2,000 higher than men, whereas 61% of barristers are men.
The number of trainee solicitors in the UK is currently 5,811.
Salaries for barristers tend to increase with their experience. The average barrister tends to earn anything between £25,000 and £300,000, depending on their location and the stage in their career, making this field very varied in terms of money making. After ten years or so, a barrister in private practice can earn up to an impressive £100,000.
Solicitors tend to charge an hourly fee, as their work often centres around an office location and involves meetings with clients. Fully qualified solicitors in larger firms tend to earn from £25,000 to £40,000 per annum, while those in larger companies can bring in between £58,000 and £65,000 – with London-based firms regularly offering salaries higher than £80,000.
