Almost half (47%) of law students plan to opt out of the Working Time Directive to allow them to work more than 50 hours a week, according to new research.
The Sweet & Maxwell survey shows that only 13% of law students expect to work less than 39 hours a week, with 5% ready to work “as many hours as necessary”.
The study also reveals that 27% of law students expect to earn more than £31,000 on qualification, indicating that many could be disappointed by their starting salary. The average salary for a trainee solicitor is £20,925, with a minimum salary of £17,110 for inner London and £15,332 for the rest of England and Wales.
Forty-two percent of students expect their peak earnings to top £70,000 and 3% believe they will earn an annual income of over £500,000 at some point during their career. The average annual salary for a lawyer is £51,463.
Only 7% see themselves making partner within 10 years, with 16% seeing themselves as senior solicitors working towards a partnership in the same time period. More than a quarter (26%)
