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Register as a Locum
2026 edition · 7 October 2026
Locum solicitor hourly rates · 2019–2026
How have locum
hourly rates changed?
A comparison of our published rates across five recent calendar years, with earlier reports back to 2019 and practical commentary for law firms and locum lawyers.
Read the figures as published snapshots, not annual averages. We use the latest available report located for each year. The main comparison is December 2022, November 2023, October 2024, November 2025 and July 2026. The 2026 figures cover a partial year. All amounts are hourly locum rates, excluding agency fees; allow separately for any applicable VAT and agreed expenses.
The main findings
Higher rates in many areas, but no single market-wide trend
Our published ranges show substantial increases in several practice areas between the December 2022 and July 2026 snapshots. Other ranges have changed little. The comparison is most useful when read by specialism, alongside the type and length of the assignment.
July 2026 range, compared with £30–£40 in December 2022.
July 2026 range, compared with £40–£55 in December 2022.
July 2026 range, compared with £32–£37 in December 2022.
Source: the linked December 2022 and July 2026 reports. These are published guidance ranges, not guaranteed offers or averages of completed placements.
Five calendar years · 2022–2026
Published hourly rates by practice area
The month under each year identifies the report used. Select a year heading to read the original publication. On a small screen, scroll the tables sideways.
| Practice area / role | 2022December | 2023November | 2024October | 2025November | 2026July · partial year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conveyancing | £30–£40 | £35–£45 | £30–£45 | £45–£55 | £45–£55 |
| Commercial property | £35–£50 | £35–£50 | £40–£55 | £45–£65 | £50–£60 |
| Wills & probate | £40–£55 | £40–£55 | £40–£55 | £40–£60 | £45–£65 |
| Civil litigation | £32–£37 | £30–£40 | £45–£55 | £50–£70 | £50–£70 |
| Commercial litigation | £35–£75 | £35–£75 | £50–£125 | £55–£125 | £55–£125 |
| Employment | £30–£45 | £45–£50 | £50–£60 | £50–£65 | £50–£65 |
| Company commercial | £50–£90 | £50–£90 | £50–£90 | £60–£120 | £60–£120 |
| Commercial contracts | £35–£75 | £35–£75 | £35–£75 | £35–£75 | £35–£75 |
| In-house counsel: 0–3 years PQE | £35–£50 | £35–£50 | £35–£50 | £35–£50 | £40–£50 |
| In-house counsel: 3+ years PQE | £50–£95 | £50–£95 | £50–£95 | £50–£110 | £50–£125 |
| In-house interim lawyers: SMEs | £60–£75 | £60–£85 | £60–£85 | £60–£85 | £60–£85 |
View specialist, family and support-role rates
| Practice area / role | 2022December | 2023November | 2024October | 2025November | 2026July · partial year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction: non-contentious | £60–£75 | £60–£75 | £60–£75 | £80–£110 | £80–£110 |
| Construction: contentious | £45–£60 | £45–£60 | £45–£60 | £60–£90 | £60–£90 |
| Family: unsplit category* | £32–£40 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Family: legal aid* | Not listed | £30–£35 | £35 | £40 | £40 |
| Family: private* | Not listed | £35–£50 | £45–£50 | £45–£55 | £45–£55 |
| Child care: earlier category* | £35–£45 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Family: child care, local authority* | Not listed | £35–£45 | £35–£45 | £40–£45 | £40–£45 |
| Immigration | Not listed | £30–£55 | £30–£55 | £30–£55 | £35–£70 |
| Insolvency | £45–£55 | £45–£55 | £50–£55 | £50–£55 | £50–£55 |
| Intellectual property | £55–£80 | £55–£80 | £55–£80 | £55–£80 | £55–£80 |
| Personal injury & clinical negligence: 3+ years PQE | £30–£45 | £35–£50 | £40–£50 | £40–£50 | £40–£50 |
| Professional negligence | £45–£55 | £45–£55 | £45–£55 | £45–£55 | £45–£60 |
| Property litigation | Not listed | £40–£50 | £45–£60 | £45–£75 | £45–£75 |
| COLP/COFA: temporary, hourly only† | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | £50–£150 | £50–£150 |
| Legal cashiers | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | £25–£35 | £25–£35 |
| Paralegals: all areas | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | £20–£30 | £20–£30 |
Not listed means the selected report did not provide a separate figure for that category; it does not mean no work was available. A single figure, such as £40 for legal-aid family work, is reproduced as published.
* The December 2022 report used unsplit “Family Solicitors” and “Child Care” categories. Later reports separately identified legal-aid family, private family and local-authority child care. We preserve that distinction rather than assume identical coverage. † COLP/COFA entries show hourly rates only; the separate monthly retainer figures are excluded.
Analysis & commentary
Where the published ranges have moved most
This chart compares the midpoint of each published range in December 2022 with July 2026. A midpoint is simply the lower and upper figures added together and divided by two. It is not an average rate earned by locums.
Bars share a 0–80% scale. Changes are nominal, rounded to one decimal place and not adjusted for inflation. These five calendar-year observations span approximately three years and seven months between the first and final snapshots.
Conveyancing has not risen in a straight line
The selected range rises from £30–£40 in 2022 to £35–£45 in 2023, then falls to £30–£45 in 2024 before reaching £45–£55 in both 2025 and 2026.
Seasonal timing matters. Our August 2022 report referred to minimum rates of £40–£45 for annual leave cover until the end of September, while December reported £30–£40 and falling rates. A year-end snapshot cannot capture every summer peak.
Probate has risen; contracts have stayed level
Wills and probate moves from £40–£55 to £45–£65, a 15.8% rise in the band midpoint. Commercial contracts remains £35–£75 throughout the five selected reports. Intellectual property also remains £55–£80 in those snapshots.
There is no sound basis for applying one percentage increase to every locum budget. Stable published bands also do not prove that every individual assignment rate stayed unchanged.
Senior in-house work has a wider range
For in-house counsel with more than three years’ post-qualification experience, the published band widens from £50–£95 in 2022 to £50–£125 in 2026. The lower figure is unchanged; the upper figure is £30 higher.
The SME in-house band moves from £60–£75 to £60–£85. Broad experience categories cover different briefs, so a midpoint alone is a poor substitute for a quote for a particular role.
The latest year is mixed. Between the November 2025 and July 2026 reports, conveyancing, civil litigation and employment ranges are unchanged. Wills and probate rises from £40–£60 to £45–£65. Commercial property narrows from £45–£65 to £50–£60 while retaining a £55 midpoint. Immigration widens from £30–£55 to £35–£70.
What the figures mean for law firms
Use the relevant practice-area range to set an initial budget, then confirm availability, working arrangements, dates and the level of responsibility. A short, urgent or specialist assignment can price differently from an ongoing booking. Our source reports also note that remote roles may attract lower rates, but that should not be treated as an automatic discount.
Keep the locum’s rate separate from the agency fee. For example, the July 2026 conveyancing band of £45–£55 becomes £53.10–£64.90 per hour including our published 18% agency fee, before any applicable VAT or agreed expenses. This is an illustration, not a current quotation. Read about our fees or register an assignment for help with a specific requirement.
What the figures mean for locums
Use the report as a starting point for rate discussions. Consider your experience, location, systems knowledge, assignment duration and the work involved. An hourly rate is turnover before your own costs and tax, not the equivalent of an employee’s hourly take-home pay.
Our free guide covers getting started, finding assignments, business arrangements and payment.
Complete the short form on the guide page to access the PDF.
The earlier archive
Historical context: 2019–2021
The earliest rate report located with usable historical figures was December 2019. These earlier snapshots give context to the five-year comparison above. Some descriptions and experience bands changed, so the figures should not be treated as a perfectly uniform time series.
| Practice area / role | 2019December | 2020December | 2021December |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conveyancing | £28–£33 (1–5 years PQE); £30–£37 (5–35 years PQE) | £30–£35 | £30+; £35 usual base |
| Commercial property | £32–£55 | £35–£45 | £37–£55 |
| Wills & probate | £35–£50; up to £55 noted | £35–£50 | £35–£55 |
| Civil litigation | £28–£35 | £28–£35 | £30–£35 |
| Commercial litigation | £35–£75 | £35–£75 | £35–£75 |
| Employment | £28–£45 | £30–£45 | £30–£42 |
| Company commercial‡ | £35–£85 | £45–£85 | £50–£90 |
| In-house: 0–3 years PQE | £25–£40 | £30–£45 | £35–£50 |
| In-house: 3+ years PQE | £40–£90 | £45–£105 | £50–£95 |
| Personal injury & clinical negligence: 3+ years PQE | £25–£40 | £25–£40 | £25–£40 |
‡ In 2019, the category was “Company Commercial & General Commercial Solicitors”. That report also specified experience bands for conveyancing (shown above), commercial property (1–40 years), wills and probate (3–35 years), civil litigation (1–35 years), and commercial litigation, company/general commercial and employment (3+ years). Later category labels are broader. The 2021 conveyancing entry has no upper bound, so no midpoint has been invented.
For example, the published civil litigation band was £28–£35 in both December 2019 and December 2020, compared with £50–£70 in July 2026. That is a marked change in the guidance, but the reports do not provide a constant sample of lawyers, placement volumes or an inflation-adjusted earnings series.
How to use this report
Methodology and original sources
This review draws on rate reports published on interimlawyers.co.uk and checked on 7 October 2026. One snapshot was selected for each calendar year: the latest dated rate report located in the accessible website archive. The 2013, 2015 and 2016 rate URLs currently redirect to the main rate hub, so their historic figures have not been reconstructed or included.
Our monthly reports describe indicative ranges drawn from recruitment activity, including assignments, rates indicated by locums and rates agreed on new bookings. They are not a statistically representative survey of every UK locum. Sample sizes and placement-level records are not published, so this review does not calculate annual averages, medians or a market-wide pay index.
Amounts are in pounds sterling per hour, reproduced as nominal figures without inflation adjustment. Agency fees are excluded from the source bands. Single figures remain single figures; missing categories remain “not listed”. Role labels have only been lightly standardised for readability. The chart calculation is: ((2026 band midpoint ÷ 2022 band midpoint) − 1) × 100.
2026 is incomplete: July was the latest report located at the review date. Different snapshot months, changes in role mix and variation within each year can affect comparisons. The commentary describes the published figures; it does not establish what caused a change or predict future rates.
- December 2019 hourly rate report
- December 2020 hourly rate report
- December 2021 hourly rate report
- December 2022 hourly rate report
- November 2023 hourly rate report
- October 2024 hourly rate report
- November 2025 hourly rate report
- July 2026 hourly rate report (latest available 2026 report located)
Additional context: August 2022 seasonal-rate commentary · Main hourly rates hub · Agency fees.
Litigation shows some of the largest changes
Civil litigation moves from £32–£37 to £50–£70 per hour. Commercial litigation moves from £35–£75 to £55–£125. The commercial litigation upper figure therefore rises much faster than the lower figure, widening the range of potential budgets.
That wider band should not be read as a typical rate of £125. It points to the importance of matching the quote to the experience, complexity and responsibility required.