At Thomson Legal, we invest a substantial amount of time in ensuring that we understand and share our knowledge of the complex legal market. From salary surveys to our market overview and career guides, we help candidates progress in their career. 

Offering real-time advice to clients on salary levels and market trends we also keep our law firms and in-house clients up to date and competitive within the industry. 

Our legal salary survey, market overview and career guides are free to download below, with no requirement to register your details, however, we can provide you with more in-depth advice tailored to your career, should you decide to get in touch. 

Below you will find an example summary of our market overview and salary survey for Scotland. At the bottom of this page you will find full downloadable guides for a number of different markets.

This year’s market overview discovered four key areas: national law firm dominance; skills shortage; a buoyant in-house market and increased competition for associates.

We have seen an increased numbers of law firms that now have a national or international presence, many of which have strategic alliances with City law firms. Being part of a larger organisation has provided financial stability for many firms with others now maximising client opportunities by providing a UK-wide service. There is also an attraction to lawyers with ambitions of a move to London or Overseas in the future.

When it comes to skills shortages, many Scottish firms are feeling under-resourced to meet client demands. For example, the ‘green light’ on many national projects in the UK has led to higher demand for lawyers with expertise in construction, real estate (including English property) and projects. Equally so, regulatory changes created more interest in data protection lawyers with demand still substantially high for transactions lawyers in corporate and banking.

While the impact of Brexit is still uncertain, the Scottish market is going through a positive period in terms of in-house opportunities. There has been an increase in roles within the financial services, including large retail banks in Edinburgh. Additional roles within the industry have increased since last year across the Central Belt. Lawyers with 3+ years PQE and commercial contracts or compliance exposure are also in high demand within Central Scotland. Contrastingly, the market remains slow in Aberdeen, however there have been signs of an improving oil and gas market which we would anticipate will lead to more in-house opportunities in the North East in 2019.

While not unique to Scotland, law firms are having to compete aggressively for talented Associates. Lawyers with high demand skill sets will normally have multiple offers, therefore, firms are required to ensure their offers are competitive. Many firms offer a culture and ‘brand’ that potential hires can relate to. Retention of key Associates also remains a vital strategy for firms looking to keep their best talent.

While these figures are indicative, they are intended to be used as guidance only. The figures do not include bonus and benefit packages. Should you wish to gain a more accurate insight into what you can expect regarding salary, packages and market conditions, then get in touch.

While the above information can be used as a useful guide to get started, we do recommend that you talk to us directly to get a more personal insight into the market in which you are working. This will allow us to give you more accurate salary surveys and a personal career guide to help you further your career within the legal sector. 

Below you can download our Market Overview for Scotland as well as other guides centered around other markets you may be interested in.

Should you wish to arrange your legal salary survey, or if you would like to discuss any of the information contained in our guides and salary surveys, please email us at info@thomsonlrc.com.

Please return to this page for future publications, updates and downloads. If you wish to provide feedback, please email us at:  feedback@thomsonlrc.com