Family law barristers provide guidance and represent clients on matters pertaining to divorce, child custody, financial settlements and more.
Earnings in family law can vary widely and depend on many different factors; however, a typical junior family lawyer could expect to earn around PS65,000 in their first year of practice.
How much do family law barristers earn?
Barristers are legal professionals who advise clients on various legal matters and represent them in court proceedings. Working from offices called chambers, these experts prepare legal documents and research cases in order to provide expert legal opinions on various matters. Barristers may travel between offices to attend court sessions, interview witnesses and view scenes related to cases relevant to an ongoing trial.
Family law barrister salaries vary considerably based on experience and type of work they perform, from PS120,000-PS500,000 annually; with top 2% earning well in excess of that sum.
Barristers earn money for their services, as well as benefits such as health insurance and pension plans from their employers.
Barrister salaries can differ widely depending on experience, the area of law they specialize in and where they practice. You should also expect bonuses and allowances.
To become a barrister, one must possess either an undergraduate law degree or take a conversion course if necessary. After passing both exams, you’ll take part in the Bar Practice Course and then pupillage in chambers for approximately a year before becoming a lawyer.
Junior barristers typically begin their careers earning relatively low incomes; however, with experience they can rapidly increase this figure and move into becoming a senior counsel or Queen’s Counsel (QC).
However, while junior attorneys at commercial sets may earn over PS70,000 during their first year of practice, that figure won’t apply at criminal or family law sets – that’s before any deductions for rent, clerk’s fees, tax and insurance are taken into account.
A QC with an impressive reputation can expect to make in excess of PS1m within their first year as they build up their client list, often due to fees paid for legal advice and court representation services provided to clients.
Publicly funded work
As is well known, barristers are lawyers who specialise in representing their client at court and providing legal advice. This differs from solicitors, who typically specialize in transactional work such as conveyancing or wills and probate services. Within the UK, barristers may operate solo, as part of a firm or chambers of lawyers.
Barristers provide legal advice and represent their clients in civil, family and criminal proceedings in courts and tribunals. Additionally, they conduct research into cases and prepare court documents. Finally, witnesses are prepared for appearance before judges and appear before them as necessary.
Barristers typically perform both private and publicly funded legal work. Some may take on both types of cases simultaneously while others will specialize in one or two fields of law.
Legal aid schemes provide most criminal barristers with funding. These lawyers represent people who cannot afford legal representation themselves – this may include children, the mentally ill and homeless individuals.
Work that improves people’s lives is immensely satisfying, yet often difficult if you lack qualifications to practice or experience.
If you want to pursue a career as a barrister, it’s essential that you carefully consider which area(s) of law you wish to specialize in and whether or not you possess the appropriate skillset for this goal. Working hard and long hours towards achieving your goals may prove challenging; therefore, be ready for long and hard hours ahead as part of this endeavor.
As a lawyer, it will require the ability to make quick and innovative decisions quickly, while being open-minded in your approach to problem-solving. With support and training from colleagues in this profession, success can be found.
Earnings can vary widely for barristers depending on their specialty and chambers they work in, with even junior members at leading commercial sets earning in excess of PS70,000 annually while those at lesser prestigious chambers often earning much less.
The CBA is demanding that the Government increase legal aid funding, which has been drastically cut over the years by successive administrations. They claim this situation has forced many barristers out of practice as they no longer make enough to live on.
Privately funded work
Barristers are independent legal advisors who represent their clients in court proceedings. Solicitors often hire them, while members of the public can also instruct them directly.
Barristers tend to work independently, though some also work at law firms or large commercial organizations as “in-house” barristers who receive regular income and benefits.
Family law barrister earnings depend on factors like practice area, experience level and reputation. According to the Bar Standards Board (BSB), at five years’ experience 80% of barristers earned PS90,000. 4.5% went beyond PS240,000.
Due to government cuts to legal aid, junior barrister income has significantly declined over recent years. This has caused what are known as legal aid deserts where barristers abandon public funded work in favor of private fees as a source of survival.
This has had a devastating effect on legal aid availability and led to cases being abandoned when defendants could no longer pay their legal bills. To combat this situation, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) is calling on government to increase funding for legal aid as well as providing more support for barristers working criminal cases.
Example: A barrister who represents their client in a high-profile crime trial will earn much more than one who defends a defendant charged with domestic violence, while working for local authority clients will provide much lower payments than handling privately funded divorce or children’s law matters.
As far as barristers’ fees are concerned, there are three pricing models for their work: fixed fee; hourly rate and percentage of cost of case. A fixed fee arrangement is most often utilized as this can be agreed to prior to starting any work.
Timing of a case’s completion by a barrister can have a substantial impact on their fee, as barristers must factor in time spent conducting research, preparing documents and appearing in court when setting fees. Therefore, it is imperative that you request details regarding specific costs be included in your contract of engagement.
Pupillage awards
Attaining pupillage can be one of the biggest hurdles barristers face during their initial years at the Bar. Competition for placements can make this an arduous process that may take years; recruiters may require that candidates prove themselves well during interviews to secure work.
Pupillage awards (the Bar’s equivalent of training contracts) are one of the primary ways that many barristers begin their legal careers, and come in various forms depending on which chambers and area of law one applies for.
If you want to practice family law, for instance, it is essential that you find a firm with an excellent track record in handling such cases. They should be approachable, forward-thinking and have an established history of producing top-quality work.
Money earned during pupillage is of crucial importance; the more you make, the quicker it will help secure you an employment tenancy at a firm. Your initial award may also provide opportunities to supplement this with practicing pupil fees during your second six month stint as well.
Leading commercial sets have increased pupillage awards significantly in recent years to lure top talent onto their productions. Some pupillage awards have even exceeded PS30,000 per pupillage award; these can usually be supplemented with guaranteed second six earnings exceeding PS30,000 per show.
Contrasting with their criminal counterparts, family barristers tend to earn much higher incomes at the family Bar. An annual survey by King’s College London suggested incomes could range anywhere between PS60,000 in year one to PS120,000 after seven years – considerably more than an NQ salary at criminal Bar sets.
Your pupillage experience will include three supervisors, who will seek to match your interests and preferences with barristers with suitable experience. You will also attend seminars and workshops hosted by them so as to gain more insight into the legal system. In your final six months of pupillage you’ll take on cases on your own and expand your practice; this time should help build both your reputation and self-assurance.
