Legal Cheek compares pay across 40+ top law firms
School leavers heading straight into the legal profession can pocket as much as £33,000 in their first year, with Legal Cheek’s latest data showing solicitor apprentice salaries continuing to tick upwards across much of the market.
Drawing on salary data from more than 40 firms featured in the 2027 Legal Cheek Solicitor Apprenticeship Most List, the average first-year salary now sits at around £28,600. The wider trend is upwards, with 24 firms that also appeared on last year’s list increasing their starting salaries and nine holding steady.
For those less familiar with the route, solicitor apprenticeships — distinct from graduate solicitor apprenticeships — typically last six years, giving school leavers the chance to earn from day one while completing a fully funded law degree and the SQE.
At the top end of the table, US firms and the Magic Circle continue to set the pace, with much of the £30,000-plus bracket made up of international and elite City outfits. National and regional players generally sit further down the table, although salaries in the mid-£20,000s remain a sizeable pay packet for those fresh out of school.
It’s also worth keeping location in mind when comparing the figures, with the table covering salaries both in and outside London, where rates are typically lower. Salary isn’t the only cash up for grabs either: a number of firms offer sign-on bonuses, with some worth as much as £5,000.
You can view all of our salary data on our 2027 Legal Cheek Solicitor Apprenticeship Most List.
How much will I earn as a first-year apprentice? 💷
| Law firm | Starting salary |
|---|---|
| Gowling WLG | £33,000 |
| Weil Gotshal & Manges | £33,000 |
| White & Case | £33,000 |
| A&O Shearman | £32,000 |
| Freshfields | £32,000 |
| Linklaters | £32,000 |
| Simmons & Simmons | £32,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £32,000 |
| Ashurst Perkins Coie | £31,000 |
| Dentons | £31,000 |
| Mishcon de Reya | £31,000 |
| Wedlake Bell | £31,000 |
| Winston Taylor | £30,500 |
| CMS | £30,000 |
| Hogan Lovells Cadwalader | £30,000 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | £30,000 |
| Stephenson Harwood | £30,000 |
| Osborne Clarke | £29,500 |
| Pinsent Masons | £29,250 |
| Farrer & Co | £29,000 |
| DLA Piper | £28,500 |
| Forsters | £28,300 |
| Bates Wells | £28,000 |
| Bird & Bird | £28,000 |
| Fladgate | £28,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer | £28,000 |
| Mayer Brown | £28,000 |
| RPC | £28,000 |
| Shoosmiths | £28,000 |
| HFW | £27,000 |
| Kennedys | £27,000 |
| Reed Smith | £27,000 |
| Watson Farley & Williams | £27,000 |
| Weightmans | £26,936 |
| Burges Salmon | £26,000 |
| Cripps | £25,353 |
| Bevan Brittan | £25,000 |
| Bristows | £25,000 |
| Michelmores | £24,500 |
| Addleshaw Goddard | £23,000 |
| Foot Anstey | £21,500 |
| Womble Bond Dickinson | £21,480 |
| DWF | Undisclosed |
Oh my God, so a £33k salary in London means I can just about afford to survive, let alone enjoy my life? Incredible!
£33k is roughly £2,750 a month BEFORE tax, or around £2,263 take-home. Let’s break it down: £1,813 for a studio, £240 for utilities and bills, £246.60 for a Zone 1–4 travelcard, £30 for a phone, £30 for a gym membership, £35 a week for haircuts to maintain a professional appearance, and £150 for groceries. That’s £2,661 a month in expenses, before tax.
You’re left with a shortfall of roughly £398 a month, before accounting for clothes, shoes, toiletries, study materials, socialising or savings.
So why are firms patting themselves on the back for offering £33k? The reality is that, if you don’t live at home or share accommodation, you can struggle to make ends meet. Not everyone has the privilege of living with their parents, and a professional salary should allow you to live, not just survive.