For the lucky ones who get jobs with the top firms, the life of a rookie lawyer is a charmed one. Not only do the likes of Allen & Overy – where Prince Harry’s ex, Chelsy Davy, began work as a trainee solicitor earlier this month – cover their graduate recruits’ hefty law school fees, but they pay them around £40,000 while they complete on-the-job “training contracts”. At which point, as fully fledged lawyers, their salaries rocket to £60,000-plus.
