Legal Executives - North West
Our unique position in the legal marketplace has allowed us to compile the following table:
| SALARY SURVEY - LEGAL EXECUTIVES - NORTH WEST - 2008 |
| |
family |
wills & probate |
debt recovery |
property |
personal injury |
crime |
com prop |
comm-ercial |
costs |
| student |
£12-17K |
£16-22K |
£13-16K |
£14-20K |
£12-22K |
£12-16K |
£16-24K |
£15-20K |
£16-20K |
| member |
£20-32K |
£22-33K |
£17-30K |
£18-35K |
£20-37K |
£14-28K |
£20-40K |
£20-30K |
£24-33K |
| fellow |
£23-45K |
£28-46K |
£25-43K |
£25-45K |
£30-55K |
£24-36K |
£28-50K |
£30-40K |
£35-50K |
| paralegal |
£11-25K |
£15-38K |
£11-40K |
£16-44K |
£12-40K |
£12-30K |
£16-45K |
£15-35K |
n/a |
Family
Due to on-going changes in Public Law this area of work has slowed in recent months. As one of the more popular areas of law for Legal Execs, positions are increasingly rare and competition is high. Private/High net worth experience/following along with qualification, and panel membership are key elements to the higher salaries in this area of work.
Wills & Probate (Private Client)
Consistently high demand for experienced Execs and junior fee earners. Senior candidates particularly with Tax & Trusts experience are always very marketable and more often than not are snapped up quickly.
Debt Recovery
The Debt Recovery market has picked up over recent months, with firms beginning to invest mainly in junior candidates. This area of work can in medium / small firms be a useful route into more complex commercial litigation.
Property
Residential property has become slow in light of uncertainty in the housing market. Commercial property has also felt these effects but employers when considering Candidates for positions are happy to utilise the skills of ILEX qualified staff.
Personal Injury
Personal Injury appears to be steadily picking up with firms growing in confidence again after a slowing down due to changes in legislation. Demand is still high for candidates with a minimum of 18 months fee earning experience dealing with fast-track caseloads. Paralegals and legal executives are now seen as more cost effective, self sufficient and flexible than solicitors. Salaries do vary quite dramatically between firms due to differing bonus schemes and quality of work.
Crime
The criminal market has obviously been hit by the changes in funding for Public Law and has become increasingly quiet.
Civil Litigation
Little movement in this area, with salaries remaining quite stable. True general civil litigation specialists tend to be in short supply perhaps due to the fact that the majority of candidates are now specialising in a particular area of litigation.
Costs
Good calibre Draftsman and Negotiators are always in demand. There has been trend to move away from cost drafting firms to solicitors in house positions on both Claimant and Defendant sides which continues. For Candidates who have Drafting/Negotiation and Advocacy experience the market place remains particularly buoyant.