New findings from our latest survey show that pay for in-house lawyers remains structured and relatively stable, with clear distinctions by seniority, sector and location. While headline salaries have continued to rise, the overall labour market for legal professionals appears settled, with limited recruitment or retention pressure reported by employers.
Across the UK, newly-qualified lawyers earn a median salary of £44,263, increasing to £57,000 in London. Private services continue to offer the highest pay at early-career levels, while public sector salaries sit lower. For legal advisers, the overall UK median salary is £59,050, compared to £66,934 in London. At more senior levels, IDR research shows that heads of legal now earn close to £150,000 at the median, with some surpassing £200,000. These figures underline the strong link between seniority and pay for in-house roles.
The latest estimates from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) indicate relatively strong pay growth for legal professionals relative to other employees. Provisional data released on 23 October 2025 shows that median full-time annual earnings for solicitors and lawyers increased by 10.7% year-on-year, compared with 4.3% for all full-time employees.
Recruitment and retention
The survey findings suggest that recruitment and retention pressures for legal roles were muted in 2025: only a small minority of surveyed organisations reported any difficulty hiring legal staff, and retention concerns were rare. Most employers noted little change from 2024, reinforcing the view that in-house legal teams experience far less volatility than other employee groups.
Bonuses and benefits
Employers report that bonus levels for legal staff have remained broadly unchanged from last year. Bonus targets remain highest at senior levels, while pensions, car allowances and private medical insurance also vary by seniority. Senior in-house legal advisors typically receive a bonus worth 12%, car allowance worth £7,000 plus private medical insurance. In-house legal staff also receive additional benefits, including cycle-to-work schemes, discounts and travel support.
Pay Benchmarker
If you want access to IDR’s salary data for the in-house legal profession as well as a wide range of other key roles, you can explore Pay Benchmarker by clicking below.
