Hiring guide: corporate and commercial
Hiring a corporate or commercial solicitor in 2026: salaries, costs and what to look for
By Ben Holtom, founder of Sourcefully. Updated .
The short answer
Outside London, corporate and commercial solicitors earn around £39,000 to £64,000 at NQ, £52,000 to £86,000 at 4 to 5 PQE and £68,000 to £130,000 at senior level depending on region. In London the bands are £57,000 to £83,000 at NQ and £76,000 to £112,000 at 4 to 5 PQE. A 20% agency fee on a £72,000 commercial solicitor is £14,400; a Sourcefully flat fee is £7,500 plus VAT.
Corporate and commercial lawyers are the hardest hires to make through adverts. Good ones are employed, busy and known to their clients, so a move is a confidential decision taken slowly. Most hires at 3 PQE and above come from direct approaches and referrals, not applications.
The figures below cover England and Wales. They are regional and mid-size firm benchmarks, not City or international firm rates.
Salaries in 2026
Corporate and commercial solicitors by region
| Region | NQ (0 to 1 PQE) | 4 to 5 PQE | 8 to 15 PQE |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | £57,000 to £83,000 | £76,000 to £112,000 | £100,000 to £169,000 |
| South East | £44,000 to £64,000 | £59,000 to £86,000 | £77,000 to £130,000 |
| South West | £43,000 to £63,000 | £57,000 to £84,000 | £76,000 to £127,000 |
| East of England | £40,000 to £58,000 | £53,000 to £78,000 | £70,000 to £118,000 |
| East Midlands | £40,000 to £58,000 | £53,000 to £78,000 | £70,000 to £118,000 |
| West Midlands | £42,000 to £61,000 | £56,000 to £82,000 | £73,000 to £124,000 |
| North West | £43,000 to £62,000 | £57,000 to £83,000 | £75,000 to £126,000 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £43,000 to £62,000 | £57,000 to £83,000 | £75,000 to £126,000 |
| North East | £39,000 to £56,000 | £52,000 to £76,000 | £68,000 to £114,000 |
| Wales | £39,000 to £56,000 | £52,000 to £76,000 | £68,000 to £114,000 |
Corporate and commercial support, regional firms
| Role | Typical range 2026 |
|---|---|
| Corporate or commercial property paralegal, experienced | £30,000 to £38,000 |
| Junior paralegal | £24,500 to £27,000 |
Solicitor bands are from LawBoard salary benchmarking 2026, which models mid-size firm pay across England and Wales. Smaller high street firms often pay below these bands, and larger regional firms above. Commercial property solicitors are usually paid in line with these bands.
Support and paralegal bands are typical ranges for regional firms outside London.
What moves pay: deal size and complexity, how much of a transaction the person led rather than assisted on, a billing record against target, and whether they bring client relationships with them.
What it costs to hire
Compared with a typical agency fee of 20% of first-year salary, Sourcefully's flat fees are set by salary band and paid when your hire starts. For roles from £45,000, £500 is due when the search starts and deducted from the fee. Fees are plus VAT.
| Role | Salary | Agency at 20% | Sourcefully flat fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate paralegal, experienced | £34,000 | £6,800 | £4,000 |
| Commercial solicitor, NQ | £52,000 | £10,400 | £5,000 |
| Commercial solicitor, 4 to 5 PQE | £72,000 | £14,400 | £7,500 |
| Senior corporate solicitor | £95,000 | £19,000 | £10,000 |
Hiring several roles a year? The Embedded Talent Partner retainer is £2,750 a month plus £1,000 per start. It covers up to three live roles at a time, with adverts under your own brand. Use the Recruitment Cost Audit to see which option works out cheaper for your volume.
Why corporate and commercial roles are hard to fill
The people you want are rarely looking. They are weighing fit, timing, confidentiality and long-term prospects, and they will not post a CV on a job board while their clients and partners might see it.
Generic adverts make it worse. A role titled 'commercial solicitor' tells a candidate nothing about whether they would be doing share purchases, supply agreements or leases. Naming the work, the team and the reason the role exists is what turns a passive candidate into a conversation.
What to look for when you screen
- The deal types and sizes they have worked on: share and asset purchases, investment rounds, reorganisations, or commercial contracts, terms and IP licensing.
- Which matters they ran themselves and which they assisted on.
- Their billing record against target, and how they record time.
- Client relationships: who they advise directly and whether any would follow them.
- Supervision of trainees or paralegals.
- Business development: networks, referrers and sector focus.
How to make your role stand out
- Name the matters and clients the person would work on.
- Give a credible salary for the level. Vague 'competitive' pay loses this market.
- Explain why the role exists: growth, a team gap, or a succession plan.
- Offer a confidential first conversation before any formal application.
More hiring guides
- Residential conveyancing
- Private client
- Family
- Employment
- Secretaries, assistants and paralegals
- Fee-earning paralegals
See also the law firm salary guide 2026, how much legal recruitment costs and all hiring guides.
Free PDF
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Solicitor pay for five practice areas across all ten regions, plus legal support roles and what each costs to recruit. Four pages, ready to print for your next salary review or hiring meeting.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a corporate or commercial solicitor earn outside London?
Around £39,000 to £64,000 at NQ, £52,000 to £86,000 at 4 to 5 PQE and £68,000 to £130,000 at 8 to 15 PQE, depending on region. The South East, North West and Yorkshire pay towards the top; the North East and Wales towards the bottom.
Why are commercial solicitors so hard to recruit?
Most are not actively looking, and moving is a confidential decision. They respond to specific, credible approaches about real work rather than to adverts. Expect to reach the best candidates by direct approach and referral.
How much does it cost to recruit a commercial solicitor?
A typical agency fee of 20% on a £72,000 commercial solicitor is £14,400. Sourcefully charges a flat £7,500 plus VAT at that salary, or £10,000 for roles at £75,000 and above: £500 when the search starts, deducted from the fee, and the rest when your hire starts.
Should we advertise or headhunt?
Both. A clear advert with the salary catches the minority who are looking and gives approached candidates something to read. Direct approaches reach the majority who are not. Relying on adverts alone is the most common reason these roles stay open for months.
About the author
Ben Holtom, founder of Sourcefully
Ben has 15 years in recruitment, including internal recruitment at Reed and The Edwin Group. He founded RecQuest, a South Coast legal recruitment business, in 2025 and partnered with 45 law firms, making nearly a placement a week. He now runs Sourcefully, offering law firms embedded recruitment and fixed-fee hiring.