A senior lawyer in the UK said lawyers are often paid less per hour than people who work in fast food restaurants. Chris Henley, chairman of the UK’s Criminal Bar Association, said, “Too often the hourly counsel wages are worse than those at McDonald’s”, adding that this sadly “is not a hyperbole. He cites an example of a lawyer being paid £ 46.50 to make preparations overnight and appearing in court all day, which means being paid £ 5

The average junior criminal lawyer with up to 15 years of experience is around £ 40,000 per year. After deducting the rent for space and other items, there are around £ 28,000 left, according to Bar Council data. This is still considerably higher than the annual income of someone working at McDonald’s, with a starting wage of £ 8 per hour or £ 16,640 per year.
But it is the low average flat wage of public lawyers and the lengthy time a case prepares for them to receive wages below the minimum level. Some attorneys earn more money and private lawyers earn hundreds of thousands of pounds. Criminal lawyers can also increase their income by combining public and private cases. £ 5.80 per hour
Becoming a legal advisor can be a very lucrative profession, especially in the private sector as they are often paid by the hour. But government-funded general criminal case lawyers face a different set of circumstances.
The wage rates for public prosecutors and defense attorneys are determined by … Read More

