Legal professionals n.e.c.: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time legal professionals n.e.c. in the UK earned a median £35,507 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £3,532 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 191st of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
The mean, £65,429, is 84% above the median, a sign of a few very high earners.
Median full-time pay: women £18.13 an hour, men £18.67 an hour.
Full-time paid hours are shorter than usual, a median of 35 a week.
ASHE counts roughly 89,000 employee jobs, 89% full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 10.7%, from £32,076, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 84,800 people in this line of work, 23% of them in London.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,221 | £460.20 | £13.06 | £20,372 | £434.20 | £13.10 |
| 20th percentile | £25,775 | £498.20 | £13.84 | £23,905 | £478.10 | £13.82 |
| 25th percentile | £26,740 | £513.50 | £14.33 | £25,021 | £488.60 | £14.25 |
| 30th percentile | £28,006 | £536.60 | £15.30 | £26,037 | £510.50 | £14.88 |
| 40th percentile | £31,640 | £595.30 | £16.55 | £28,576 | £565.60 | £16.29 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £35,507 | £654.60 | £18.25 | £33,822 | £633.50 | £18.06 |
| 60th percentile | £42,492 | £786.00 | £21.91 | £39,121 | £728.30 | £21.01 |
| 70th percentile | £50,396* | £939.10* | £26.33* | £47,003* | £882.80* | £25.02* |
| 75th percentile | – | £1,067.70* | £28.54* | – | £987.10* | £27.55* |
| Mean | £65,429 | £1,096.90 | £30.52 | £60,164 | £1,026.30 | £29.76 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £32,076* | £580.70 | £16.44 | £31,042* | £559.70 | 56 |
| 2022 revised | £30,813 | £552.10 | £15.32 | £28,812 | £536.60 | 64 |
| 2023 revised | £29,998 | £548.20 | £15.06 | £28,419 | £527.00 | 68 |
| 2024 revised | £33,038 | £619.00 | £17.09 | £31,284 | £587.00 | 72 |
| 2025 provisional | £35,507 | £654.60 | £18.25 | £33,822 | £633.50 | 89 |
Legal professionals n.e.c. by region
UK: 84,800 (± 11,300), April 2025 to March 2026. 11 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| London | 19,100* | ± 7,100 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What legal professionals n.e.c. do
Job holders in this unit group perform a variety of other professional legal occupations not elsewhere classified in minor group 241: Legal professionals. (ONS SOC 2020, 2419)
Also covers: attorney, conveyancer, justice’s clerk, legal adviser, legal consultant, legal counsel, paralegal, patent agent, patent attorney, solicitor’s clerk (articled), adviser (law), chief clerk, general counsel, immigration consultant, justice's clerk, law agent, legal coordinator and legal officer (48 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Co-ordinates the activities of magistrates courts and advises magistrates on law and legal procedure
- Provides legal advice to individuals within Citizens Advice, Law Centres and other such establishments
- Drafts and negotiates contracts on behalf of employers
- Advises employers, local and national government and other organisations on aspects of law and legislative implications of decisions made
- Advises on, drafts documents for and assists in all aspects of property conveyancing
- Collates information, drafts briefs and other documents, interviews and advises clients and undertakes preparatory work for cases
Entry to training usually requires a qualifying law degree or postgraduate diploma. Entrants then undertake a further year of academic training and then complete up to four years of assessed supervised experience in legal practice. Entrants may also require up to five years post qualifying experience in legal practice.
Related
Legal professionals (median £50,306) · Solicitors and lawyers · Barristers and judges · salary percentile · UK real pay growth · Mean
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026