Legal Associate Job Description

Legal Associates play an important role in the daily running of law firms. They are responsible for a variety of legal tasks, including managing client relationships, preparing legal documents and giving legal advice. This role gives way to various career opportunities, with many choosing to climb the career ladder within a legal firm to eventually become a partner.

Within this legal associate job description, we provide an overview of the daily responsibilities of a legal associate, how much the average legal associate salary is, and what the career path may look like for an associate.

What is a Legal Associate?

A legal associate, also known as an associate, is a qualified solicitor who works in a law firm to support case management and provide legal advice to clients, under the guidance of a partner or senior associate.

As this is a mid-level position, most legal associates will typically have a few years experience within the legal field. As a result, this position is seen as a vital stepping stone for legal professionals to gain the necessary supervised experience to be promoted to senior associate and, eventually, a partner.

What Does a Legal Associate Do?

The primary role of a legal associate is to carry out legal work for their clients, as directed by the senior associates and partners. This role can vary depending on the firm’s size, specialisation and structure, meaning some legal associates may primarily have a client-facing role, while others can have a technical expertise development focus.

The central elements of the role can encompass a wide variety of responsibilities including:

Client relationships

Associates will develop client relationships by interviewing clients and managing client caseloads from start to finish.

Legal research

A vital part of the legal associate role is to conduct legal research on behalf of clients to build strong legal arguments and inform litigation strategies.

Preparing legal documents

Within this role, associates will need to draft, review and edit legal documents ahead of court hearings to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Administrative tasks

There are various general administrative tasks they must undertake, including updating and consulting with senior associates on case progress and supervising legal assistants from time to time, to maintain efficient workflow.

Attending court

Legal associates are expected to attend court with solicitors or barristers to assist with case presentation and to represent their clients.

Legal advice

Associates provide legal advice to their clients by gathering relevant evidence and consulting with senior associates to align advice with legal standards.

How to Become a Legal Associate

In order to become a legal associate you will need to qualify as a solicitor. You can achieve this through the following steps:

1. The first step in becoming a legal associate is to complete a qualifying law degree (LLB) or a non-law degree.

2. Following completion of your degree, you must complete the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), a two stage exam that tests legal knowledge and skills. If you undertook a non-law degree it may be helpful to take an SQE preparation program prior to the exam, to get you up to speed.

3. Once you have taken stage one of the SQE exam, you will then need to complete two years of qualifying legal work experience (QWE). This experience could be gained through a training contract with a private practice or an in-house legal team.

4. After two years, you can then take stage two of the exam, where you will be tested on your advocacy, client interviewing and written legal skills.

5. Following this, you will then need to pass the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) character and suitability assessment. Within this assessment, they will look at any criminal behaviour, health conditions and unfavourable behaviour. If you pass this, you will then be a qualified solicitor.

Legal Associate Career Path

The career path for a legal associate is rewarding and varied. The main options for those considering this career include choosing to specialise in a specific area of law or climbing the career ladder within a law firm, as detailed below:

Junior-level

Junior-level associates with a few years of experience in the legal field will typically work in a law firm. Their role will be under the supervision of a senior associate or legal partner, where they will gain the skills needed to progress to senior positions.

Senior-level

If a junior associate excels within their role, they can be promoted to senior associate. Within this position they will have a critical role in the firm, where they will take on additional responsibilities, including supervising and mentoring junior associates.

Partnership

After many years of practice as a senior associate, a legal associate could be promoted to partner, where they will take on further responsibilities. If they are a salaried partner, they will be entitled to a share of the firm’s profits.

Specialisation

Associates can choose to specialise in a particular area of law such as intellectual property, tax law or litigation. Two of the main benefits of specialising are the potential for higher salaries and the ability to attract high-profile clients.

How Much Does a Legal Associate Earn?

According to our latest TotallyLegal salary survey, the average legal associate salary is £74,329 per annum, with 76% of legal associates reporting a salary increase this year. In addition to this, 44% of TotallyLegal associates took home a bonus, with 63% conducting a hybrid working schedule.

However, it’s important to remember factors like firm size, location and specialisation can affect pay, with areas such as London seeing higher salaries.

Apply for Legal Associate Jobs on TotallyLegal

If you’re looking to embark on a career as an associate, you can discover the latest legal associate jobs on TotallyLegal, where you’ll find roles across a variety of industries and locations. Alternatively, visit the TotallyLegal blog, to explore our articles about industry insights, CV tips and more.

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