Solicitors Pay

dreamer2009

I'm looking for a bit of advice on Solicitors Salaries. I'm not sure if this is the right forum or if Work and Jobs might be a more appropriate place for this thread so feel free to move it.

I am a Solicitor with 1.5 years post qualification experience (1PQE) and have been working in the same firm for the past 4 years- first as an apprentice and now as an associate.

My salary is currently €24k p.a. I was assured that this would be reviewed after one years PQE. However, at the review they told me they had an embargo on pay increases and that they would next review it in June. June came and passed and so I once again asked about a pay increase. I have been told the embargo is still in place and the next possible date of a salary review will be January 2014, with no guarantee as to a pay rise. At this review I will have just over 2 years PQE.

I am very frustrated at this. I work long hours and would do at least 6-8 hours overtime a week for which I am not paid. Is this simply a sign of the current state of the profession or am I being underpaid?

I have looked at the Brightwater survey and realise I do not seem to be majorly out of line with the suggested averages. However, anecdotal evidence of 4-5 friends who qualified with me is that they are on €29-€37k (with both small and large firms). My own firm is a medium sized firm with about 12 Solicitors, 1 apprentice and between 18-20 additional staff.

All opinions would be much appreciated.

NoQuarter

It seems a bit low to me but you already know that. I don't know what you could do about it though, it's an employment contract and you're agreeing to it so its a bit of a bind.

McCrack

It is low on the face of it but not knowing you and your work return/ethic that's all I can comment.

A firm you describe can well afford to pay you more salary so unless they are just being stingy or there are other reasons behind it I don't know.

I think €30k to €35k would be the norm for 1y pqe.

LowKeyReturn

How on earth do they get away with paying 24K, the average call centre worker is on that. I suppose the answer is simply supply and demand?

Iano_128

LowKeyReturn wrote: »

How on earth do they get away with paying 24K, the average call centre worker is on that. I suppose the answer is simply supply and demand?

Was just thinking that about call center workers myself! I'm not aware on what a Solicitor should be paid but when I read it, it did seem really low and a call center wage is the 1st thing that popped in to my mind.

boomtown84

This is depressing, i'm just about to start Blackhall in September. That's seriously low!

LowKeyReturn

Could have been worse, could have gone down the barrister route :P

dreamer2009

OP here.


McCrack: I would like to think I have a good work ethic. I come from a self-employed background and would not be shy of hard work. Also, at my last review they stated they were more than happy with my work.

NoQuater:I realise that I am acquiescing to the pay-until January at least- but I feel I do not have much choice at the moment. Most advertisements for available positions state a minimum of 3 years PQE is required and two adverts that I enquired into advised 1 years PQE was not sufficient. As you say its a bit of a bind. The law of economics is not in my favour as there is a majority of my college peers who are currently unemployed and/or on the job bridge scheme.


Boomtown84; Best of luck on starting Blackhall. It might interest you that a number of friends started off on similar money- €24-25k per annum but after 1 year they all received substantial pay increases and are currently on €29-37k. So don't loose all hope.

LowkeyReturn and Iano_128: Yes it is low. My father is incredulous that it is all I am currently getting paid. I too thought I would be on substantially more at this stage of my life. It is depressing after spending so many years at college-by night- to be in this position. I will have another diploma to my name by the next review so I will have to be armed for a serious negotation then viz my pay. It appears that I will need to be asking for a €6-8k increase-which seems huge given it is between 25-33% of my current wage.

The Barrister Route- Now that is an interesting career and a whole other ball game. One young barrister I know is in €50k+ debt relating to all his socializing within the relevant social circles!

blueythebear

I would class that as extremely low and I wouldn't be accepting that personally. There are jobs out there for persons of your level of PQE although I would say that few of those jobs would be advertised as permanent. The temporary discovery roles in the big firms would pay alot more than that for example. At that level of PQE, you should be expecting at least €35k.

The options are to plod along and hope you get a raise (or possibly suggest to your employer a percentage fee for any business you bring in?) which seems unlikely or to look elsewhere. There are jobs out there and at 18months PQE, you're ideally placed to get a taste for a new area of law or a new firm.

SeanSouth

It's a free market. You can get up and go whenever you choose. Your employer has stated that you are getting nothing more for now so its up to you to seek out a better position. If you're good enough and have the necessary skills you will have no problem achieving what you're worth.........If no one else will pay you what you think you're worth, then you're not worth it.
There is nothing more pathetic in my view than someone who is being underpaid, accepting the status quo. People will have a lot more respect for you if you move on and improve your own circumstances. The Partners must be laughing their heads off at you sitting there working your butt off for a pittance while they coin it in. You've already been there for four years. That's too long. Time to move on

Dubflier

First off are you really a solicitor, as I would be very concerned if you were representing me. I say this because if you have to come on to boards and ask the question about pay and you work in the profession, you should already know the answer. I checked the other treads you started and eight months ago you stated you were a small business with three phones on bill pay ????????????? I assume you know the tread.

Pro Hoc Vice

Dubflier wrote: »

First off are you really a solicitor, as I would be very concerned if you were representing me. I say this because if you have to come on to boards and ask the question about pay and you work in the profession, you should already know the answer. I checked the other treads you started and eight months ago you stated you were a small business with three phones on bill pay ????????????? I assume you know the tread.

Rereading that post it said "we are a small business" also if you looked a little further back you would see that the Poster was going on the PPC1 over 3 years ago. I believe in Cork.

If the poster is in cork then she is one of a handful of qualified solicitors still in practice who qualified in the last 5 years. So in reality has no one to compare with. I know solicitors who qualified 6 years ago and are on the same salary now as a year or 2 PQE.

blueythebear

Dubflier wrote: »

First off are you really a solicitor, as I would be very concerned if you were representing me. I say this because if you have to come on to boards and ask the question about pay and you work in the profession, you should already know the answer. I checked the other treads you started and eight months ago you stated you were a small business with three phones on bill pay ????????????? I assume you know the tread.

Solicitors, as in any profession are always cagey about their salaries. The fact is that there are (usually) no set wage structures. You could have two solicitors in the same office with the same level of PQE on different salaries. It's not unreasonable to ask the question that has been asked and the anonymity of the internet allows for possibly more truthful answers, so the OP has a more realistic basis to work from.

chopser

http://www.brightwater.ie/documents/brightwater_salary_surveys_ROI_2013.pdf

This survey gives you a good idea of pay.
Page 20 has the average salary for legal profession. It again depends on your firm.

SATSUMA

This is a hard one...but you are certainly being taken advantage of and although it's hard, the only way to change it is to start making some noise. There are embargo's on in most organisations and there is also an exception to every rule. I was on 24k at Newly Qualified and managed to get to 30k at 1 PQE after the year which i consider to be at least 10k short of what i should be getting now as i veer toward 2 years PQE! I had to fight hard for it though and I threatened to walk otherwise. My approach at 2 years PQE will be different- less of the hissy fit and more of the "this is what i've done and this is what i plan to do" approach!

Really plan this and get your stuff together. treat it like one of your cases.

Best of luck.