PQE Discount FAQs
PQE Discount FAQs
Anthony Matthews
4 June 2025
One of the most significant differences that lawyers find making the move from Australia/New Zealand to London is how it affects what level they are considered. We’ve included some of the most common questions we get asked about this below to hopefully shed some light about the PQE (post-qualified experience) discount.
Why is there a PQE discount?
Essentially, the discounting of Antipodean lawyers is to counteract the two-year training contract that UK trainees undertake before qualifying as a lawyer in the UK. These training contracts are traditionally split into four separate, 6-month seats across four different practice areas before a trainee will hopefully qualify into one of these teams.
But I completed a training contract?
Granted, there is a period where lawyers work as graduates before qualifying which constitutes a training contract of sorts. As such, most firms will normally deduct two years from when you started as a grad rather than when you qualified i.e If you started as a law graduate/clerk in February 2023, most firms in London will see you as a February 2025.
How strict is this deduction?
Most UK firms will deduct the two years quite strictly. Although quite archaic, there are obvious financial benefits that a firm can have by bringing in someone at a more junior level and not having to pay them as much. There is also issues with bringing lawyers in from the same location/firms and not treating them (PQE wise) exactly the same.
Some firms will deduct less if they believe, from interviewing a candidate, that they would be comfortable working at a more senior level. This is most prevalent with US firms as their focus is more profit base than egalite between other overseas qualified lawyers who have joined firms.
What does this mean to my salary?
Generally speaking, if you are moving from Australia or New Zealand your salary will significantly increase in any case.
I’m already a senior associate, will this carry on in the UK
No, but maybe! Most senior associates in London will be 5PQE+ (7PAE+) therefore, if you’ve made senior associate in Australia/New Zealand at 5PAE you would be considered 3PQE in the UK so you wouldn’t be a senior associate.
The senior associate title carries a lot more weight in Australia/New Zealand, some firms in London don’t even have the title. However, it can aid a move back to Australia/New Zealand if you secure the senior associate title before making the move overseas.
One of the most significant differences that lawyers find making the move from Australia/New Zealand to London is how it affects what level they are considered. We’ve included some of the most common questions we get asked about this below to hopefully shed some light about the PQE (post-qualified experience) discount.
Why is there a PQE discount?
Essentially, the discounting of Antipodean lawyers is to counteract the two-year training contract that UK trainees undertake before qualifying as a lawyer in the UK. These training contracts are traditionally split into four separate, 6-month seats across four different practice areas before a trainee will hopefully qualify into one of these teams.
But I completed a training contract?
Granted, there is a period where lawyers work as graduates before qualifying which constitutes a training contract of sorts. As such, most firms will normally deduct two years from when you started as a grad rather than when you qualified i.e If you started as a law graduate/clerk in February 2023, most firms in London will see you as a February 2025.
How strict is this deduction?
Most UK firms will deduct the two years quite strictly. Although quite archaic, there are obvious financial benefits that a firm can have by bringing in someone at a more junior level and not having to pay them as much. There is also issues with bringing lawyers in from the same location/firms and not treating them (PQE wise) exactly the same.
Some firms will deduct less if they believe, from interviewing a candidate, that they would be comfortable working at a more senior level. This is most prevalent with US firms as their focus is more profit base than egalite between other overseas qualified lawyers who have joined firms.
What does this mean to my salary?
Generally speaking, if you are moving from Australia or New Zealand your salary will significantly increase in any case.
I’m already a senior associate, will this carry on in the UK
No, but maybe! Most senior associates in London will be 5PQE+ (7PAE+) therefore, if you’ve made senior associate in Australia/New Zealand at 5PAE you would be considered 3PQE in the UK so you wouldn’t be a senior associate.
The senior associate title carries a lot more weight in Australia/New Zealand, some firms in London don’t even have the title. However, it can aid a move back to Australia/New Zealand if you secure the senior associate title before making the move overseas.