Trainee salaries
All traineeships must be paid. It is up to individual employers to set their own salaries for trainees, however, there are minimum salary requirements that must be complied with in order for a training contract to be accepted for registration by the Law Society.
Minimum salaries
The Society will not accept training contracts that purport to pay less than the Living Wage (outside of London rate), as set by the Living Wage Foundation.
When setting its recommended rate, the Law Society takes account of the UK Government's Minimum Wage and the Living Wage Foundation's Living Wage. However, when considering its recommended rate, the annual salary used by the Society is based on a 35 hour week. Therefore where a firm is paying a trainee at an hourly rate, and that trainee is regularly working more than 35 hours per week, it may be that the firm will have to pay that trainee more than the Society's recommended rate, in order to ensure they are paid above the UK Government's Minimum Wage.
Recommended rates
From 1 June 2025, the recommended rates for trainees in Scotland will be:
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£24,840 for first year trainees
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£28,850 for second year trainees
The rates remain discretionary, with employers permitted to pay above or below the recommendation as long as the wage meets the National Living Wage set by the Living Wage Foundation.
More than 95% of trainees who started their traineeships in the past year are being paid at or above the recommended rate.
Comment on the 2025/26 recommended rate
The recommendations we have set this year reflect ongoing cost-of-living pressures facing both trainees and employers, and the wider picture of wages growth, particularly in the profession.
We understand that some employers are facing significant financial strain, however we also need to be mindful that cost-of-living pressures are felt more intensely by those on modest salaries.
Trainee solicitors are the future of our profession and have chosen this path over a number of other career options available to them as law graduates. It is imperative that they see Scotland’s legal sector as a viable career choice.
The Society also wishes to make clear that it expects all trainee employers to cover the cost of their trainees’ required annual CPD. We have information that this is not happening for a small number of trainees, adding further to the financial pressures that they face while on modest incomes.
Additional
International and rUK students
Read our guidance for non Scottish-domiciled students, including information on how the visa and immigration process fits into the route to qualifying as a Scottish solicitor.