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.

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.

From 1 June 2026, the recommended rates for trainees in Scotland will be:

• £25,950 for first year trainees

• £30,150 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.