Insights and Trends from the TotallyLegal Salary Survey

In early 2024, we conducted our annual TotallyLegal salary survey to discover if legal professionals were receiving market average salaries, bonuses and working arrangements for their roles. We received responses from over 500 participants across a range of disciplines, working for some of the world’s best-known businesses including PWC, Transport for London and Mastercard.

The general outlook indicated that wage growth was inconsistent across the sector, reflecting a stark contrast to last year’s blanket salary boosts. In this article, we’ll explore the emerging trends and provide insights into the factors that influenced legal professionals in 2024.

• Trends in Salary

  At face value, the salary survey UK results seemed positive, with 54% of respondents receiving a pay rise in 2024. Graduates saw the largest salary upswing from the previous year, with a healthy 30% increase from 37% in 2023 to 67% on average in 2024. At the higher end of the salary increases were the following job titles:

  •  Legal HR (80%)

  •  Associates (76%)

  •  Litigators (75%)

  At the opposite end of the scale, Paralegals faced a 28% decrease and Legal Secretaries continued their negative trend from the previous year, with just 20% earning a salary increase.

  Despite positive trends for certain job titles, this year saw significant salary erosion due to lasting effects from the pandemic, evolving consumer behaviour and the persistent cost of living crisis.

  This erosion was reflected within most practice areas, where widespread salary fluctuations showed a stark contrast to 2023 salary survey results. Those working in US Law firms were among the most affected, where the average pay dropped by 37%.

  This would have been unpleasant news for a third of legal professionals, who stated that salary was the most important aspect of their role - a 4% increase since last year’s results.

• Tackling Pay Inequalities

  As with all salary surveys, it’s important to report on the lows as well as the highs. This year spotlighted that pay enhancements were generally reserved for higher earners, with many support staff missing out on raises and bonuses altogether. This was reflected most strongly by 79% of Paralegals and 69% of Legal Assistants, who answered ‘no’ when asked if they received a bonus.

  There was also bonus inequality between genders, with men receiving larger bonuses in the same lower-level positions: Legal Assistants (+3%) and Paralegals (+4%). This gender parity was also reflected in a handful of salaries, where the widest salary disparities were:

  •  Legal Executives (+167% for men)

  •  Legal Assistants (+132% for men)

  In addition to this, women with 1-2 years PQE had an average salary deficit of £32,692 compared to their male counterparts.

  On a more positive note, the gender pay gap saw improvements on a broader scale, where the gap decreased by 2% from last year to 11%. The pay gap widened in favour of women across senior positions, where General Counsel females reported salaries averaging 22% more than men. Similarly, at Partner level women made £119,722 on average – 30% higher than men. Women also achieved majority representation in Solicitor (68%) and Associate (59%) roles.

  Although there were positive strides at a senior level, these results reflect the pressing need for a commitment to consistency across pay rises, representation and career opportunities for both genders. It’s apparent that without an authentically diverse and fairly rewarded workforce, firms will struggle to meet evolving industry demands.

• Adapting to Hybrid Work Environments

  Flexibility has become the new normal this year, with 65% of legal professionals reporting a hybrid working arrangement. The most common working arrangement was 1-2 days in the office with 41% of respondents having this schedule. The titles with the highest percentage of those working remote or hybrid were:

  •  Barrister (100%)

  •  Head of Department (88%)

  •  Solicitor (77%)

  This hybrid working model was seen as a key motivator for many professionals, with flexibility stated as the most important factor of a role by 26% of salary survey 2024 respondents. Flexibility seemed to grow in line with salary, with mid-range roles benefitting the most - those earning £65,000 were the most likely to have this freedom, with just 10% on site.

  Large law firms were the most open to hybrid working environments, with 71% of roles allowed hybrid or remote working. In contrast, just 33% of professionals in Magic and Silver Circle companies had this flexibility.

  When asked if a return to office would be a deal breaker, 56% of our audience said ‘yes’. This was felt more strongly by those identifying as women, with 61% on average saying this would push them to find a new role, compared to just 45% of men.

  This highlights that in order to future proof their workforce, law firms must ensure agility and responsiveness to changing employee needs by allowing flexible work arrangements.

• What Next?

  Salary surveys are an excellent tool for benchmarking and even negotiating your own salary if you don’t follow market norms. To read the full report, you can download this on TotallyLegal today.

  For updates on taking part in the TotallyLegal 2025 salary survey, sign up to our newsletter or follow us on social media, so you can be one of the first to get notified.

  If this salary survey has inspired you to look for a new role, you can apply for the latest Lawyer, Paralegal, and In-House Counsel positions on TotallyLegal. Alternatively, you can upload your CV to get headhunted for the latest advertised and non-advertised roles.