Why Aren’t Salaries Always Advertised?

We recently conducted a LinkedIn poll, where 70 participants shared their biggest challenges when searching for a new role. Unsurprisingly, 61% highlighted the lack of salary transparency as their main concern.

As legal recruitment professionals, salary is naturally one of the key topics we discuss with candidates. Questions about current earnings and salary expectations for a new role are common in our conversations and as specialist consultants, we aim to provide insights into salary trends in our geographical areas. We always strive to advise on salary when putting out our adverts, but this isn’t always possible and there are a number of reasons for this outlined below…

Why Aren’t Salaries Always Advertised?

1. Qualifications and Experience

Some firms are specific about the qualifications they’re looking for, whether that’s a qualified Solicitor or a Chartered Legal Executive, whereas others are open to applications from non-qualified professionals, which in turn impacts the salary offered.

2. Individual Contributions

A candidate’s unique value can also affect the salary. Factors such as a strong client following, impressive billing history, or expertise in marketing and business development can increase earning potential.

3. Skill Shortages

Skill shortages often drive salaries higher. For instance, in practice areas like Residential Conveyancing and Private Client, we’ve had a huge number of jobs in the last six months, but not the same number of candidates! This shortage can lead firms to offer salaries that exceed usual market rates.

4. Firm Size and Practice Area

Unsurprisingly salaries vary significantly between firms. A small high-street practice in Derby simply can’t compete with the salary offerings of a national firm in Leeds. Similarly, practice areas matter; legal aid work tends to come with stricter salary bands compared to commercial practice areas.

Our Approach to Salary Transparency

While we strive to include salary information whenever possible, the reality is that many firms don’t provide us with defined salary bandings upfront. Instead, they prefer to determine compensation based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, unique value and performance at interview.

The best way to gain clarity on salaries is to have a conversation with us! As specialists in legal recruitment, we can provide tailored advice on what you can expect to earn in today’s market. Additionally, I’d highly recommend taking a look at our recently published 2024/2025 salary survey for further insights.

If you have questions or need advice, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone or drop us an email. we’re here to help.