In-house lawyers qualified for four and five years have enjoyed the greatest hike in salary since 2004 while those qualified for nine and 10 years fared the worst.
In-house lawyers qualified for four and five years have enjoyed the greatest hike in salary since 2004 while those qualified for nine and 10 years fared the worst.
A survey by legal recruiter Laurence Simons shows average salaries have grown from £57,000 to £65,000 (14%) for four years’ post qualification experience (PQE) and from £65,750 to £70,500 (7%) for five years’ PQE.
However, those qualified for nine and 10 years have seen their salaries drop by 5% and 7% respectively on the 2004 figures.
Naveen Tuli, managing director at Laurence Simons, says: “Many people assume senior lawyers suffered the least during the downturn but as far as in-house roles go, that’s wrong.
“Over the past 18 months or so, those companies that have been in the fortunate position to be hiring in-house staff have tended to focus on those with slightly less experience.
“As a result four years’ PQE and five years’ PQE lawyers have been in demand.”
