£500 pay boost recommended for trainees

Trainee solicitors in Scotland should receive a pay increase from 1 June 2019, the Law Society of Scotland is recommending.

The Society’s governing Council agreed at its April meeting that the recommended salaries should be £19,500 for those in their first year and £22,500 for second-year trainees, an increase of £500 in each case.

The recommended rates are advisory only, but around 90% of trainees are paid at or above the rates. The Law Society of Scotland will not accept for registration any training contract where the salary is less than the living wage for those outside of London as set by the Living Wage Foundation.

New Admission Regulations which the Society plans to introduce could allow the possibility of trainee solicitors appearing in court earlier than is presently allowed, subject to robust safeguards and sign-off by a supervising solicitor. This may enable trainees to earn additional income for their organisations and so the Society believes that narrowing the gap between first and second year recommended salaries is sensible.

President Alison Atack said it was important to narrow the gap between the trainee solicitor recommended rate and starting salaries for graduates in other industries.

She commented: “Trainee solicitors are an integral part of the profession and the traineeship provides a solid foundation of knowledge, skills and experience in preparation for rewarding careers. It’s also important that they are fairly rewarded and remunerated for the work they do, and there is a real need to narrow the gap between the salaries of trainee solicitors and other high-calibre graduates. Law graduates have a range of career options available to them, and pay rates must remain competitive if we are to attract the best candidates into the profession.

“Our recommended rate is advisory only, but trainees will no doubt be pleased to know that we have raised the benchmark. We recognise that economic conditions remain difficult for many firms and organisations, and that they are under pressure to control their costs, including salaries. Trainees can offer real long term benefits to the organisations employing them, but unfortunately, some simply cannot afford to take on a trainee solicitor. The only viable option for others is to pay below the recommended rate.”

The number of training contracts registered with the Society during the 2017-18 practice year rose by 8% to 587.