jobfacts

Legal associate professionals

SOC 2020 3520

Legal associate professionals provide administrative support for legal professionals and investigate and make recommendations on legal matters that do not fall within the province of a normal court of law.

Also calledBarrister's clerkData protection officerData compliance officerData protection managerImmigration adviser (non-government)Immigration case workerand 51 more titles
Typical full-time pay£34,7002025 Provisional
People in the job57,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month1,500↓ 11%on last year · 130th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time legal associate professionals earn, 2025
£34,700 typical£22,400lowest 10%£27,60025%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£22,400
Lowest 20% earn less than£25,500
25%£27,600
Median£34,700
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £34,700
London!£39,600
North East!£37,900
East Midlands!£34,000
East of England!£33,700
North West!£31,000
Yorkshire and The Humber!£27,600
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £34,700
London£39,600 (small sample)
North East£37,900 (small sample)
East Midlands£34,000 (small sample)
East of England£33,700 (small sample)
North West£31,000 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£27,600 (small sample)
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £31,400
  • 2024 £33,200
  • 2025 Provisional£34,700
↑ 11% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,500 jobs for legal associate professionals are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,927
Jul 20261,413
Jun 20261,548
May 20261,618
Apr 20261,335
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,370
Jan 20261,511
Dec 2025762
Nov 20251,638
Oct 20251,703
Sept 20251,728
Aug 20251,825
Jul 20251,895
Jun 20252,024
May 20252,125
Apr 20251,597
Mar 20251,965
Feb 20251,983
Jan 20251,655
Dec 2024992
Nov 20241,499
Oct 20241,559
Sept 20241,476
Aug 20241,542
Jul 20241,540
Jun 20241,465
May 20241,712
Apr 20241,479
Mar 20241,213
Feb 20241,302
Jan 20241,670
Dec 20231,192
Nov 20231,200
Oct 20231,485
Sept 20231,169
Aug 20231,427
Jul 20231,557
Jun 20232,031
May 20231,859
Apr 20231,698
Mar 20231,944
Feb 20232,035
Jan 20232,224
Dec 20221,871
Nov 20222,360
Oct 20222,424
Sept 20222,354
Aug 20222,555
Jul 20222,567
Jun 20222,469
May 20222,568
Apr 20222,235
Mar 20222,501
Feb 20222,158
Jan 20222,631
Dec 20212,094
Nov 20212,348
Oct 20212,243
Sept 20212,148
Aug 20212,178
Jul 20212,395
Jun 20212,252
May 20212,505
Apr 20212,284
Mar 20212,967
Feb 20211,868
Jan 20212,065
Dec 20201,473
Nov 20201,721
Oct 20201,716
Sept 20201,472
Aug 20201,142
Jul 20201,109
Jun 2020768
May 2020716
Apr 20201,337
Mar 20202,563
Feb 20202,658
Jan 20202,509
Dec 20191,770
Nov 20192,256
Oct 20192,335
Sept 20192,332
Aug 20192,499
Jul 20193,179
Jun 20192,947
May 20192,909
Apr 20191,897
Mar 20192,462
Feb 20192,353
Jan 20192,680
Dec 20181,681
Nov 20182,295
Oct 20182,290
Sept 20182,108
Aug 20182,104
Jul 20182,246
Jun 20182,184
May 20182,243
Apr 20182,262
Mar 20182,454
Feb 20182,244
Jan 20182,527
Dec 20171,705
Nov 20171,936
Oct 20171,967
Sept 20171,808
Aug 20171,919
Jul 20171,784
Jun 20172,384
May 20172,100
Apr 20171,822
Mar 20172,099
Feb 20171,790
Jan 20172,352
Is there a shortage of legal associate professionals?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hours worked.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for business and public service associate professionals, which includes legal associate professionals. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London854
Manchester257
Birmingham137
Leeds126
Brighton and Hove122
Liverpool116
Bristol, City of97
Sheffield86
Glasgow City79
Bolton61
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where legal associate professionals are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 99 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, Germany, France, ranking it 100th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of legal associate professionals
12%!
38%!
17%!
14%!
15%!
4.6%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–2412% (small sample)
25–3438% (small sample)
35–4417% (small sample)
45–5414% (small sample)
55–6415% (small sample)
65+4.6% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent73%
Higher education below degree!4.5%
A levels or equivalent!14%
GCSEs or equivalent!6.4%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent73%
Higher education below degree4.5% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent14% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent6.4% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: legal activities (38%), justice and judicial activities (24%), general public administration activities (6.3%), activities of professional membership organisations (5.3%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
73%
as their highest qualification
Registration
Costs Lawyer Standards Board
required for some roles: Costs Lawyer Standards Board
Apprenticeships
2
from level 4
Apprenticeships take
2 to 4 years
typically

Routes in

Barrister's clerk

You can get into this job through:

University

It may be helpful to study for a degree in business administration, law or legal studies, though this is not essential.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could do a college course before applying for work in a barrister's office. Courses include:

  • business administration
  • law or applied law
  • T level in Management and Administration
  • T Level in Legal Services
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

This can take up to 2 years to complete and is a mix of on-the-job training and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Work your way up

You could start as an admin assistant in a law office and train on the job to become a barrister's clerk.

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, including maths and English
  • experience in administration, legal work, accounting or management

Paid or unpaid work experience in a barrister's chambers may give you an advantage when applying for jobs.

You can find out more about working as a clerk in a barrister's office from the Institute of Barristers' Clerks.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for barrister's clerk. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Data protection officer

You can get into this job through:

University

You would normally move into a data protection role after working with an organisation in a related area, like:

  • information management
  • media and communications
  • legal advice
  • digital security

Employers will accept most university subjects, for example:

  • business administration
  • law
  • marketing
  • English
  • modern languages
  • public administration

You could also apply to do a postgraduate course in data protection after completing a first degree.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship that covers data protection, for example:

  • Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Paralegal Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

These can take up to 2 years to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a learning provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could work with an organisation as an administrator or data protection assistant and become a data protection officer through training and promotion.

Other routes

You could do training with a professional body to get industry-recognised data protection certification, for instance:

  • Certified Information Privacy Professional Europe (CIPPE)
  • Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
  • Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You will need a good working knowledge of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), the Data Protection Act (DPA) and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Information & Records Management Society for access to training, resources and latest developments in data protection regulations.

Further information

You can find more details about a career in data protection from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for data protection officer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Immigration adviser (non-government)

You can get into this job through:

Apprenticeship

You could apply to an immigration advice provider or law firm to do a Legal Executive Level 6 Apprenticeship, or Solicitor Level 7 Apprenticeship.

You could then specialise in immigration work after completing your apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

Other routes

You do not necessarily need a law degree, or any degree, to give immigration advice regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA).

This may be a quicker way into the profession and you can decide which areas of immigration, asylum and nationality law you want to work in.

There are 3 levels of regulation and each requires a minimum amount of experience, for example:

  • level 1 - basic immigration advice within the Immigration Rules - a minimum of 3 months' experience
  • level 2 - more complex work, including applications outside the Immigration Rules - a minimum of 12 months' experience
  • level 3 - includes appeals work and a minimum of 18 months' experience

To register with the IAA, you'll need to attend training, pass an exam and meet their standards.

Other ways in

Volunteering

Getting experience in an organisation that works with immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers will be useful when you apply for jobs or training. You may wish to volunteer with organisations like:

  • Citizens Advice
  • Refugee Action
  • Refugee Council
Apply directly

You may be able to apply directly for jobs if you're a qualified legal executive or solicitor.

To specialise in immigration as a legal executive, it'll help if you can find a job with a firm that deals with immigration and asylum issues, whilst training. You can find more information about qualifying from the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.

To work in immigration as a solicitor or barrister, it will be useful if you can do some of your training in this area of work. You can find more information about how to become a solicitor or barrister from The Law Society and The Bar Council.

What you’ll need

  • pass background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you'll need to register with the Immigration Advice Authority
Career tips

It may be an advantage in some jobs if you can speak a second language.

Immigration advisers work for different types of employers, including legal firms, charities and community organisations.

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out more about how to get into immigration advice work, and the rules about what type of work you can do at each level, from the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association and the Immigration Advice Authority.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for immigration adviser (non-government). Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

2 for this job
Level 4About 2 years

Legal technician

You gain
Diploma in conveyancing law and practice; Diploma in probate law and practice
Leads to
Council for Licensed Conveyancers
Details on Skills England
Level 6About 4 years

Costs lawyer

You gain
Costs Lawyer Qualification
Registration
Costs Lawyer Standards Board
Employers may ask for
There are no character and suitability requirements for undertaking the apprenticeship. However, a Candidate is advised that the CLSB assesses character and…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • runs chambers on behalf of principals, develops the practice, manages the flow of work, decides which cases to accept, arranges appropriate fees and prepares financial records
  • ensures judges have the necessary legal other documents, manages their diary and carries out other administrative duties collates information, drafts briefs and other documents
  • attends court to assist barristers and solicitors in the presentation of a case
  • ensures their organisation complies with relevant regulations and their organisational policies
  • assists in all aspects of probate and common law practice
  • draws up schedules of legal costs and advises on the allocation of legal costs and the level of legal fees

Skills

  • compile legal documents
  • respond to enquiries
  • manage accounts
  • assist judge
  • brief court officials
  • document evidence
  • handle evidence
  • observe confidentiality
  • record court procedures
  • maintain operational communications
  • show responsibility
  • comply with legal regulations
  • ensure equipment availability
  • ensure proper document management

Knowledge

  • court procedures
  • civil process order
  • legal case management
  • legal research
  • legal terminology
  • civil law
  • law enforcement
  • accounting techniques

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business and public service associate professionals, a group of 26 jobs that includes legal associate professionals.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 1.2%about 26,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.1 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.