Lawyer salary in London
Most lawyer ads in London pay £50,000 – £100,000+ a year before tax, and £90,000 – £150,000+ for senior associates (City firms pay the most). London pay is usually 10–20% higher than the rest of the UK, but so is rent, so compare the full package: pension contribution, bonus, holiday and how many days you need to be in the office.
What employers ask for
Most lawyer job ads in London ask for qualification as a solicitor (SQE or LPC route) with the SRA and experience in a practice area. The sectors hiring most are City law firms, in-house legal teams and the public sector, and many openings are in the City, Holborn and Canary Wharf.
Visa sponsorship and right to work
Most roles need the right to work in the UK. Some employers sponsor a Skilled Worker visa, and the ad usually says so: search the description for "sponsorship". See our visa sponsorship jobs for employers that hire from abroad.
Before you apply
UK recruiters expect a CV of up to two pages, with no photo, date of birth or marital status, and most screen with an ATS first. Paste the ad into our free CV checker to see which keywords you're missing and whether your layout will read correctly. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
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