padgrad is a free career platform for graduates. It matches jobs to your degree, generates AI-powered CV checks and cover letters, and sends daily personalised job digests matched to your field of study.

Yes. You get 10 free credits on sign-up to use on AI CV checks and cover letters. All other tools — job matching, budgeting, application tracking, rejection logging — are free with no credit card required.

How does the AI CV Checker work?

Upload your CV and paste a job description. The AI analyses your CV against the role requirements, gives you an ATS compatibility score out of 100, and tells you exactly what keywords and formatting changes to make — helping you pass automated screening systems used by graduate recruiters.

How many jobs should I apply for as a graduate?

Graduates typically need to send between 20 and 50 applications to land a role, with top graduate schemes receiving an average of 58 applications per vacancy. Focus on quality over quantity — tailor each CV and cover letter to the role rather than spamming the same application everywhere.

How long does it take to get a graduate job?

Most graduates take between 3 and 6 months to land their first graduate role, though it varies by sector. Consulting, tech, and investment banking tend to have faster hiring cycles. Larger graduate schemes can take 4-6 months from application to offer.

What is the average graduate salary for 2026?

Graduate salaries vary widely by country, sector and region. Investment banking, law and tech tend to pay the highest, while public sector and charity roles typically start lower. Salaries in major cities usually sit above the national average — check local salary guides for figures relevant to your market.

How do I write a graduate CV with no work experience?

Focus on transferable skills from your degree — research projects, group assignments, presentations, and coursework. Include volunteering, society memberships, part-time jobs, and any placements or internships. Use Padgrad's CV Builder to structure your CV for ATS systems, then run it through the AI CV Checker to see how it scores.

How are jobs matched to my degree on padgrad?

We scrape thousands of graduate jobs daily and match them to over 300 specific degree fields. Whether you studied Biology, Law, Engineering, Psychology, or History — we only show you roles that fit your subject area and send them straight to your daily digest.

Do graduate schemes pay well?

Graduate schemes typically pay a competitive starting salary, with some industries paying significantly more. Law firms and investment banks often pay the most. Most schemes also offer benefits like bonuses, pension contributions, and professional qualification sponsorship — check each employer's offer for the specifics.

How many applications does it take to get a graduate job?

Research shows top employers receive an average of 58 applications per graduate vacancy. Most successful graduates send 20-40 tailored applications before receiving an offer. Track every application using Padgrad's Application Tracker to spot which types of roles you progress furthest in.

Can I apply for graduate jobs before I graduate?

Yes — most large graduate schemes open applications 6-12 months before the role starts, so you should apply in your final year. Smaller companies and direct-entry roles tend to hire closer to the start date. Padgrad's daily job digest includes both graduate schemes and entry-level roles you can apply for straight away.

What should a graduate CV include?

A strong graduate CV should include: your degree with predicted or achieved grade, relevant modules and dissertation topic, transferable skills (research, teamwork, communication), part-time work or volunteering, technical skills and software proficiency, and a personal profile. Most recruiters spend under 10 seconds scanning a CV — use Padgrad's AI CV Checker to make sure yours passes the six-second test.

Law graduate jobs in 2026: what solicitors, barristers and paralegals earn, the routes in, and the skills firms test. Start your legal career with a plan.

Law Graduate Jobs 2026: Pay, Skills and Entry Routes

Law graduate jobs are some of the most competitive roles you can apply for. The good news is that the routes into law are clear. You can train as a solicitor, a barrister or a paralegal. Each path has a fixed set of steps.

This guide sets out what each route takes, what it pays and how to apply well. The pay data below comes from the UK market. Routes for Kenya, Uganda and the Philippines are named as well.

TL;DR

Choose your route early: solicitor, barrister or paralegal.
Most routes take five years or more after your degree.
Pay climbs fast once you qualify.
Build proof of your skills before you apply.

Law Graduate Jobs in 2026: The Main Routes

Most graduates aim at one of three roles. The table below shows what each one asks of you.

Route	What it takes	Typical length
Solicitor in England and Wales.	A law degree, then the SQE1 and SQE2 exams, then two years of qualifying work experience.	Five to six years.
Barrister in England and Wales.	A law degree, a Bar course, then a one-year pupillage in chambers.	About five years.
Paralegal.	Any degree, plus practical legal work. No further exams.	You can start straight away.
In-house legal or compliance.	A law degree and strong commercial awareness.	One to two years.

A law degree is not the only way in. You can study another subject and take a conversion course. The solicitor apprenticeship route takes six years, but your employer pays the fees.

How Much Do Law Graduate Jobs Pay?

Pay in law climbs fast. Training pay is modest. Pay after qualification is not. The figures below come from Prospects, published in August 2026, and from the Bar Standards Board.

Role and market	Source and year	Pay
Trainee solicitor in London.	Law Society minimum, cited by Prospects in 2026.	From £28,090.
Trainee solicitor outside London.	Law Society minimum, cited by Prospects in 2026.	From £24,916.
First-year trainee at a Magic Circle firm in London.	Prospects, August 2026.	£56,000, rising to £61,000 in year two.
Trainee at a regional firm.	Prospects, August 2026.	£30,000 to £40,000.
Trainee at a high street firm.	Prospects, August 2026.	£20,000 to £30,000.
Pupil barrister minimum.	Bar Standards Board, cited by Prospects in 2026.	£25,863 in London, £23,504 elsewhere.
Newly qualified solicitor at a City firm.	Prospects, August 2026.	£95,000 to £145,000.
Newly qualified solicitor at a Magic Circle firm.	Prospects, August 2026.	£150,000.
Newly qualified solicitor at a US firm in London.	Prospects, August 2026.	£168,000 to £180,000.
Newly qualified solicitor outside London.	Prospects, August 2026.	£40,000 to £70,000.
Graduate paralegal.	Prospects, 2026.	£28,000 to £32,000.
Average solicitor salary.	Job site data from Indeed and Reed, cited by Prospects in 2026.	£51,400 to £56,400.

What Changes Your Pay

Practice area matters most. Commercial, corporate and intellectual property work pays best. Family and personal injury law pay less. Location matters too, because London pays far more than other regions. Firm size matters as well. A regional firm pays a newly qualified lawyer £40,000 to £70,000. The same stage at a US firm in London pays three times that.

Routes Beyond the UK: Kenya, Uganda and the Philippines

In Kenya, graduates join the Advocates Training Programme at the Kenya School of Law. It runs for 18 months. The first 12 months are taught at the school, then you complete a six-month pupillage. After that you can be admitted to the Roll of Advocates.

In Uganda, the Law Council sets a pre-entry exam. Pass it and you join the nine-month Bar Course at the Law Development Centre. The course includes a 12-week clerkship placement in a firm, court or legal department. You can then be called to the Bar.

In the Philippines, you need a law degree and you must pass the Bar examinations. Qualified lawyers then join the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the national body for the profession.

Published pay figures for these markets are hard to verify, so this guide gives none. Ask each firm about its pay band during the interview. That answer will be more useful than a national average.

Skills Law Employers Look For

Legal research. You must find the right case or rule quickly.
Clear writing. Long sentences lose marks and lose clients.
Attention to detail. One wrong date can spoil a contract.
Commercial awareness. You need to know how your client makes money.
Communication. You will explain complex points to people who are stressed.
Resilience. Deadlines in law are real and the hours can be long.

Interviews test these skills with structured questions. Read our STAR method guide before your first interview.

How to Apply for Law Graduate Jobs

Law hires early. Training contracts and pupillages often open a year or more before the start date. Check dates in the first term of your final year.

Show evidence, not claims. Moots, legal clinics, vacation schemes and pro bono work all count.
Tailor every application to the firm. Name its practice areas and say why they fit you.
Keep your CV to one page and lead with your legal experience.
Prepare six stories for interviews. Use real results where you can.

If you are weighing up further study, see how other professional qualifications pay off in our guide to professional qualifications. A clean CV helps at every stage. Run yours through our free CV checker before you send it.

Mistakes That Cost Offers

Applying only to the biggest firms.
Ignoring regional and high street firms.
No work experience of any kind.
Vague answers about why you want law.
Missing deadlines that open a year in advance.

When a written offer arrives, do not accept it on the spot. Our salary negotiation guide explains how to ask for more.

The Bottom Line

Law graduate jobs reward planning. Pick your route early. Build evidence of the skills firms test. Then apply to firms of every size, not just the famous ones.

Your CV is the first test. Use our free CV checker to see what recruiters spot first. Then build a clean one-page version in the CV builder.

By Ori