Some of the most underpaid lawyers I speak to are also the most loyal.
They trained at the firm. They stayed when others left. They took on extra responsibility without complaint. Over time, that loyalty becomes part of the background.
Pay reviews become incremental rather than corrective. Salaries creep up slowly, often disconnected from the reality of the role. Responsibility increases because the firm trusts them, not because the role has been formally redefined.
This is rarely deliberate. In most cases, firms are not trying to take advantage. It is simply what happens when someone does not move. They stop being rebenchmarked against the wider market.
I regularly speak to solicitors who have not had a meaningful salary review since qualification, despite doing work that would attract a much higher figure elsewhere. They often assume this is just how the market is until they quietly sense check it.
That is when the discomfort starts. Not because money suddenly matters more than anything else, but because the imbalance becomes obvious. Long hours, reduced support, growing pressure, all sitting on a salary that no longer reflects the job.
Loyalty is a good thing. Firms value it. But it should not mean you stop asking whether your role still makes sense financially and structurally.
Having a market conversation is not about forcing a move or using offers as leverage. It is about understanding where you actually stand. Sometimes that knowledge alone changes how you approach things internally.
