Lawyer in the United Kingdom: a £78,400 national median
The United Kingdom national median for a lawyer is £78,400 a year, or about £6,500 a month before tax.
Lawyer Salary in the United Kingdom
Official national median: US$76,575 a year for Solicitors and lawyers (SOC 2020 2412).
Source: ONS ASHE (April 2026 (provisional)). Observed figure, published April 2026 (provisional).
For context, the SalaryByRole job-title median is US$104,960 a year.
Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is GBP). FX as of Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies
Lawyer pay in official statistics for the United Kingdom
The closest official occupation is Solicitors and lawyers (SOC 2020 2412). In April 2026 (provisional) its national median was £57,198 a year.
That is 27% below the SalaryByRole median above. The sources define the job differently (an official occupation group versus a job title), so read them as a range rather than one figure.
ONS puts the number of full-time jobs in this occupation at about 108k (indicative).
6 regions have a published figure. London is highest at £80,788 (+41% vs national) and West Midlands lowest at £46,583, a 1.73× gap.
2 of the 6 pay above the national median; the next highest after London are South West (£62,264) and South East (£54,844).
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual pay Observed | £57,198 |
| Mean annual pay Observed | £74,738 |
| 25th percentile Observed | £41,654 |
| 75th percentile Observed | £80,734 |
| Jobs (thousand, indicative) Observed | 108k |
| Median change vs previous year (%) Observed | +0.2% |
| # | Region | Median | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | £80,788 | +41% |
| 2 | South West | £62,264 | +9% |
| 3 | South East | £54,844 | -4% |
| 4 | Yorkshire and The Humber | £54,312 | -5% |
| 5 | North West | £47,334 | -17% |
| 6 | West Midlands | £46,583 | -19% |
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2026 provisional, Tables 14 and 15 (full-time employee jobs, place of work) (Open Government Licence v3.0). Figures are copied from the published table without adjustment; ranks and percentage differences are calculated by us. All regions · Methodology
Official median (ONS ASHE (April 2026 (provisional)))
US$76,575
per year, observed
SalaryByRole median
US$104,960
per year
Monthly (national)
US$8,702
per month, before tax
Hourly (national)
US$50.46
varies by city
Lawyer pay in the United Kingdom vs other countries
The United Kingdom is 3rd of 6 countries for this role once medians are converted at the same exchange rate (US$105,000). Australia pays 26% more (£98,722 at today's rate) and Germany pays 16% less (£65,724).
That median is about 1.8× GDP per person (US$57,600, World Bank 2025). That is a rough sign of how far the role pays above the average national income.
Australia
United Kingdom
GermanyRemote pay for workers in the United Kingdom
If a remote employer paid the U.S. median for the same job (US$160,000), that would be about £119,512, 1.52× the local median. Location-adjusted remote offers usually land between the two.
Lawyer take-home pay in the United Kingdom (estimate)
Using our take-home calculator for the United Kingdom, the £78,400 median loses income tax £18,792 and National Insurance £3,579, leaving £56,029 a year or £4,669 a month. Total deductions: 29% of gross.
The United Kingdom: prices, jobs and holidays
Consumer prices in the United Kingdom rose 3.9% in 2025 (World Bank). Matching that on the £78,400 median takes a raise of about £3,058.
Unemployment was 4.7% of the labour force in 2025.
The United Kingdom has 14 public holidays in 2026 (Nager.Date); at the median, one working day is worth about £302 before tax.
Related Legal salaries in the United Kingdom
Figures are estimates, updated 2026-11-01. See our methodology for sources and limitations.