Thinking of becoming a solicitor? What you need to know …
Becoming a solicitor remains one of the most respected and rewarding career paths in the UK legal sector, but it’s important to understand exactly what the role involves and how to qualify before you commit. From advising clients at critical moments to managing complex transactions and disputes, solicitors play a central role in the legal system. The route to qualification requires careful planning, academic commitment and, crucially, securing the right practical experience at the right time.
In this guide, we explain what a solicitor does on a day-to-day basis, where you might work and what you can expect to earn at different stages of your career. We also look at working hours, long-term progression and the current qualification routes, including the traditional degree pathway, paralegal experience and solicitor apprenticeships, so you can make informed decisions about your next steps into the profession.
What is a solicitor?
A solicitor is a qualified legal professional who gives legal advice and handles legal work for individuals and businesses. They help with things like buying or selling property, managing the sale or merger of a business, writing wills, dealing with family matters such as divorce, settling disputes, and preparing legal documents.
Most solicitors work directly with clients and manage cases from start to finish. If a case needs to go to court, a solicitor may prepare the case details and sometimes represent the client themselves, or they may instruct a barrister to speak in court on the client’s behalf.
What does a solicitor do?
A solicitor will undertake many varied tasks each day, but we’ve listed some of the most common ones below.
- Providing legal advice to a client who is being interviewed by the police
- Keeping client records
- Representing clients in court cases
- Draft assorted legal documents, including contracts
- Maintain knowledge of any changes in relevant laws
- Explaining often complex laws to clients in an easy-to-understand way
- Researching cases and providing evidence
- Providing instruction to barristers acting on behalf of a client in court
What type of solicitor role may suit your style?
If you are thinking about becoming a solicitor in the UK why not take our legal career quiz? It’s designed to help students, graduates, career changers and aspiring legal professionals discover which solicitor specialism may fit their strengths, interests and working style.
Where would I work as a solicitor?
The workplace can vary more than might be expected. For example, you might work in a private law firm or with the Crown Prosecution Service. Other solicitors work with the government, either at a local level or in central government.
Still more solicitors work at various large businesses and organisations, handling all the legal requirements that may crop up in those situations. Others work for law centres, providing free legal advice to people in the community and dealing with various issues.
How many hours do solicitors work each week?
While many solicitors work from nine to five each weekday, the nature of the role does mean that working into the evenings and over the weekends may also be required. Many solicitors end up working long days, depending on the firm they’re contracted to work with.
A lot may depend on the firm or workplace you’re involved with. For example, if you’re representing a client who has been arrested by the police, you may be quite often needed out of hours. Conversely, advisory work won’t require such extremes. There is far more flexibility in the profession than some may realise, and this is worth considering as you explore the potential for a career as a solicitor.
What’s the average salary for a solicitor in the UK?
Currently the Law Society of England & Wales recommends a minimum salary of about £28,000 per year for trainee solicitors in London. However, in practice, many London firms pay significantly higher amounts, some large firms offer £40,000 – £65,000 plus.
The Law Society’s recommended minimum for trainees working outside London is currently just under £25,000 per year.
There isn’t currently a single fixed average salary published by the Law Society, but industry-wide data suggests that the overall average salary for solicitors in the UK now is around £65,000 per year across all experience levels.
Newly qualified solicitors can often earn more than this, with many London firms paying £65,000 – £85,000 and more for newly qualified roles, with some top City firms paying substantially more.
Location, experience and position can greatly influence the figure earned. A London based salaried partner will receive more than a regionally based associate solicitor, for example.
(Salaries – indicative market averages as at 2026)
Is there plenty of scope for career progression as a solicitor?
We mentioned a few potential roles above … an associate solicitor, for example, or even a salaried partner at a private practice. Career progression can depend on the specific area of law you’re involved in. There are different possibilities in commercial and private firms and businesses, for example.
You may also go into other less obvious areas. The Government website mentions providing legal expertise within the armed forces, for example. Becoming a solicitor certainly offers plenty of scope for progression.
How can I qualify to become a solicitor?
There are a few ways you can qualify to become a solicitor. We’ll lay out the most common route first.
However, in all cases, anyone qualifying to take on this role will have completed their GCSEs followed by their A levels. You’ll typically need three good A levels before you can move on to the next stage.
The standard route to professional qualification
Law degree
The most obvious route to become a qualified solicitor is to gain a law degree (an LLB or Bachelor of Laws). The alternative is to gain a relative undergraduate degree recognised by the SRA (the Solicitors’ Regulatory Authority) as a qualifying law degree. The SRA provides extensive information about requirements for an undergraduate degree. They also list all universities offering such degrees. You must have a relevant undergraduate degree to be able to progress through the next part of the process. If you do get an undergraduate degree, you’ll then need to complete the Graduate Diploma in Law, known as the GDL.
Legal Practice Course or LPC
The next part of the process is to take the Legal Practice Course (abbreviated to LPC). This is a one-year full time course or two years if you opt for the part time option. This helps you gain the required skills ahead of your training contract, which forms the third part of the route to becoming a solicitor.
Professional Skills Course or PSC
You’ll train in at least four departments (commonly called “seats” in the world of law). Since each law firm varies in the provision of these seats, you should look at each potential provider in more detail. In every case, though, you’ll spend two years as a trainee with a law firm, completing the Professional Skills Course (PSC) along the way.
Roll of Solicitors
Once you complete your contract, you’ll need to apply to the SRA. If you meet their qualification criteria, you’ll be admitted to their Roll of Solicitors. It’s important to keep up with potential changes in the qualification process, as there will be alterations to the traditional route in 2032.
What about alternative ways to qualify as a solicitor?
After completing your A levels, you can apply to become a paralegal. A paralegal is someone who works in a legal team and supports qualified lawyers, such as solicitors and barristers. They carry out important practical tasks like drafting documents, researching the law, preparing case files, and communicating with clients. Paralegals are not fully qualified solicitors, but they play a key role in helping legal work run smoothly.
The Solicitors’ Regulatory Authority has a list of regulations that stipulate how much experience you need and in which areas before you can qualify as a solicitor via this route. You must cover three areas of law before becoming eligible to sit the Professional Skills Course (PSC) as mentioned above.
Another option is to choose a solicitor apprenticeship. You’ll be employed at a law firm, typically working there for four days every week, and studying for the fifth day.
What are your next steps?
Becoming a solicitor is not a quick process, but for those who are committed, it offers real long-term rewards. The profession combines intellectual challenge with practical problem-solving, and it provides opportunities to work across a wide range of sectors, from private practice and in-house roles to government and community-based work. As with any competitive career, preparation is key … strong academic foundations, relevant work experience and a clear understanding of the qualification route will place you in the best possible position.
If you’re serious about pursuing this path, start researching firms early, look carefully at training contract and apprenticeship opportunities, and keep up to date with regulatory changes that may affect qualification routes. The legal market continues to evolve, and informed candidates consistently stand out. At LegalJobs.co.uk, we work closely with firms across the UK and understand what employers are looking for, so whether you’re exploring your options or ready to apply, taking a proactive approach now will pay dividends later.
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