18 MAY 2012

SCRAPPING MINIMUM SALARY FOR TRAINEE SOLICITORS MIGHT SEEM COUNTER INTUITUVE BUT IT'S BRAVE

This week the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) announced that it is scrapping its regulatory minimum wage for trainee solicitors with effect from August 2014. While firms will have to adhere to the national minimum wage, Scott Rees offers some insight into the decision.

Historically, the presence of a minimum salary protected the trainee from firms paying them very little and trafficking on their desire to qualify.
 
The presence of the national minimum wage excludes the possibility of such abuses and means that a trainee will receive a living wage (in the opinion of the Government) under the NMW structure.

There is still a risk of zero salary so a term that required a firm to pay a salary to a trainee would be desirable, if it is not already in the rules as written.
 
The reality is that the better trainee candidates have been able to secure above minimum salaries for a long time.

Salaries that are going to be offered in the future will now have a competitive edge as firms look for the best of the trainees. There are always winners and losers with any change or reform however competition for the best staff is now opened up at trainee level and can only mean that the stronger candidates will win the day, ultimately becoming the future solicitors and thereby providing stronger lawyers to act for their clients.
 
It is a brave and almost counter-intuitive decision, but one which should pay dividends in the future.

Scott Rees is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors that employs 250 members of staff. It is based in Skelmersdale, Lancashire in the North West.

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