Solicitor

A solicitor is a legal professional who provides expert advice to individuals, businesses, or organisations on a wide range of legal matters. Their work includes giving legal guidance, drafting, and reviewing important documents (like contracts, wills, and property deeds), and negotiating settlements or agreements.

Solicitors often handle the legal side of everyday issues such as buying a home, getting a divorce, setting up a business, or dealing with employment disputes. They also represent clients in lower courts and may prepare cases for barristers to argue in higher courts. Some solicitors gain extra qualifications to represent clients in higher courts themselves. Many choose to specialise in areas such as criminal law, family law, corporate law, or property law.

Solicitor salaries vary widely based on experience, location, and firm type. Trainee solicitors typically earn between £22,000 and £60,000, with higher pay in London and top firms. Newly qualified solicitors usually earn around £25,000 to £70,000 at regional or mid-tier firms, but up to £100,000–£160,000 at top London firms. With 5+ years of experience, salaries range from £40,000 to over £150,000, and partners can earn anywhere from £60,000 to over £1 million, depending on the firm's size and prestige. Corporate law and London-based roles tend to pay the most.

Law degree courses are competitive to get onto. You don’t need to have studied A-level law, and whilst you may be accepted onto a law degree with two A-levels, typically you will need to have three A-levels, all at good grades.

As strong writing and reading comprehension is important as a solicitor, English may be a useful A-level subject to study, although not essential. Also helpful, might be politics.

You can search details of available degree courses, and their entry requirements, on the UCAS website.

Many solicitors have studied a law degree at university. However, there are other routes available to qualify as a solicitor. If you don’t have a degree, or have a degree in a different subject, you could complete a solicitor apprenticeship, or you could undertake the Graduate Diploma in Law (if you are studying a degree that is not law). Whichever route you choose, you will be required to pass the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

The Law Society has some excellent information on their website on the different routes to Becoming a Solicitor.

To research local education and training opportunities that could lead to a career as a solicitor, visit our partner website >log on | move on>.

Details of relevant degree courses can be found on the UCAS website.

The Law Society, Career Advice  

National Careers Service, Solicitor

Prospects, Solicitor

The Lawyer Portal, How to Become a Solicitor

Want to know what it's like to work as a solicitor? Watch the video in How Did You Get That Job? to find out more.