BCL legal survey highlights average earnings for NQs around the UK

With the NQ season coming to an end, Manchester headquartered BCL Legal has undertaken a research project looking at the average salaries of newly qualified lawyers working across the country.

The firm analysed the salaries of NQs working in the offices of national, regional and medium sized commercial firms as well as those working in the magic circle firms in London.

The research, which covered core disciplines including commercial litigation, insurance, corporate and property, showed that – not surprisingly – London NQs were the best paid with an average salary of £51,000 per year with the Home Counties coming in second with an average of £36,000.

Outside of the South East, the stats were as follows: for the North West the average was £32,500, in Yorkshire and the North East it was £32,000 whilst in the Midlands the figure was £33,500.

Over 400 NQs were surveyed during the process. James Batt, managing director of BCL Legal, commented: “There’s no doubting competition has been stiff this year with NQs working hard to find the right position. However, many areas of the law - including commercial disciplines and insurance litigation – have been buoyant and it’s positive to report that average salaries for NQs are pretty strong given the current market conditions. It’s not really a shock to see London coming out on top but the difference between the salaries paid in the capital compared to the rest of the UK is quite stark.

James added: “Our prediction is that the market will continue to evolve and NQs will need to adapt to those changes – especially as more mergers and acquisitions will no doubt happen over the next 12 months.”

From its network of offices in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol and Reading, the BCL Legal team deals with the placement of lawyers at all levels from paralegal to partner within the private practice and in-house sectors on both a permanent and temporary basis.