Hiring for Legal, Risk & Compliance in the UK
The Legal, Risk & Compliance market in the UK stabilised in 2025 with hiring primarily focused on replacement roles and restructuring rather than expansion. Audit demand remains resilient in niche areas like IT and cyber audit, as cyber risk and operational resilience remain top priorities.
There is a notable trend of auditors transitioning into compliance monitoring due to their strong analytical discipline and regulatory familiarity.
The landscape is defined by longer hiring cycles and increased scrutiny, with firms leveraging a high supply of available talent to manage headcount costs.
In-Demand Legal, Risk & Compliance Roles in the UK
- Financial Crime Specialists
- Compliance Advisory Specialists
- Risk and Controls Specialists
- Field Service Engineers
- Compliance Monitoring and Testing Specialists
- Technology Risk and Controls Specialists
- IT Audit Specialists
- Cyber Audit Specialists
- Prudential Audit Specialists
- Generalist Audit Specialists
In-Demand Legal, Risk & Compliance Skills in the UK
- Financial crime
- Technology risk and controls
- Operational resilience
- Compliance advisory
- Risk and controls
Up, Down, or Flat? Legal, Risk & Compliance Salary Trends in the UK
Salaries in the Legal, Risk & Compliance sectors have moderated from previous peaks, with standard move increases now typically ranging between 10% and 15%. A surplus of candidates has allowed firms to negotiate more aggressively and occasionally drive down industry benchmarks.
Looking into 2026, salary growth is expected to remain tempered by high candidate availability, requiring professionals to manage expectations regarding significant pay jumps.
Legal, Risk & Compliance Salaries in the UK
| Job Title |
Search job title
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Sub Sector | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job Title | Sector | Sub Sector | Location | 0 - 3 years | 3 - 5 years | 5+ years |
General Counsel Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £500 - £700 | £650 - £850 | £850 - £1,000+ |
Legal Director Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £500 - £700 | £650 - £850 | £850 - £1,000+ |
Senior Legal Counsel Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £500 - £700 | £650 - £850 | £850 - £1,000+ |
Legal Counsel Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £750 | £750 - £1,000+ |
Junior Legal Counsel / Legal Advisor Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £300 - £400 | £400 - £500 | £500 - £600 |
Newly Qualified Solicitor Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £200 - £400 | ||
Contracts Manager Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £180 - £200 | £200 - £230 | £230 - £250 |
Company Secretary Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £300 - £450 | £400 - £600 | £500 - £700 |
Assistant Company Secretary Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £200 - £250 | £250 - £300 | £300 - £400 |
Paralegal / Legal Executive Commerce & Industry Commerce & Industry Daily rate |
Legal | Commerce & Industry | London | £150 - £200 | £200 - £250 | £250 - £400 |
General Counsel Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £500 - £700 | £650 - £850 | £850 - £1,000+ |
Legal Director Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £500 - £700 | £650 - £850 | £850 - £1,000+ |
Senior Legal Counsel Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £500 - £700 | £650 - £850 | £850 - £1,000+ |
Legal Counsel Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £750 | £750 - £1,000+ |
Junior Legal Counsel / Legal Advisor Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £300 - £400 | £400 - £500 | £500 - £600 |
Newly Qualified Solicitor Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £200 - £400 | ||
Contracts Manager Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £180 - £200 | £200 - £230 | £230 - £250 |
Company Secretary Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £300 - £450 | £400 - £600 | £500 - £700 |
Assistant Company Secretary Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £200 - £250 | £250 - £300 | £300 - £400 |
Paralegal / Legal Executive Financial Services Financial Services Daily rate |
Legal | Financial Services | London | £150 - £200 | £200 - £250 | £250 - £400 |
Head of Risk Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £750 - £850 | £850 - £1,000 | £1,000 - £1,200+ | |
Risk Manager Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £750 | £750 - £1,000 | |
Head of Credit Risk Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £750 - £850 | £850 - £1,000 | £1,000 - £1,200+ | |
Credit Risk Manager Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £750 | £750 - £1,000 | |
Credit Risk Analyst Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £250 - £350 | £350 - £500 | £500 - £800 | |
Credit Analyst Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £250 - £350 | £350 - £500 | £500 - £800 | |
Head of Operational Risk Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £750 - £850 | £850 - £1,000 | £1,000 - £1,200+ | |
Operational Risk Manager Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £750 | £750 - £1,000 | |
Operational Risk Analyst Daily rate |
Risk Management | London | £250 - £350 | £350 - £500 | £500 - £800 | |
Compliance Assistant Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £200 - £250 | £250 - £350 | £350 - £500 | |
Compliance DCM Advisory Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £400 - £600 | £550 - £700 | £700 - £900 | |
Fraud Analyst Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £200 - £250 | £250 - £350 | £350 - £450 | |
Compliance Regulatory Officer Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £300 - £450 | £450 - £600 | £600 - £900 | |
KYC Manager Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £350 - £450 | £450 - £600 | £600 - £800 | |
Head of AML Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £500 - £700 | £700 - £900 | £900 - £1,200 | |
Compliance ECM Advisory Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £400 - £600 | £550 - £700 | £700 - £900 | |
MLRO Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £500 - £700 | £700 - £900 | £900 - £1,200 | |
Compliance Monitoring Officer Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £250 - £400 | £400 - £500 | £500 - £750 | |
Head of Compliance Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £700 - £800 | £800 - £950 | £950 - £1,200 | |
KYC Analyst Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £200 - £300 | £300 - £400 | £400 - £500 | |
AML Manager Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £700 | £700 - £800 | |
Compliance Corporate Finance Advisory Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £750 | £700 - £900 | |
DMLRO Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £300 - £400 | £400 - £550 | £750 - £900 | |
Compliance Officer Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £800 - £900 | £900 - £1,000 | £1,000 - £1,200 | |
Legal Compliance Manager / Director Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £1,000 - £1,200 | |||
Periodic Reviewer Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £200 - £300 | £300 - £400 | £400 - £500 | |
AML Analyst Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £200 - £300 | £300 - £400 | £400 - £500 | |
Compliance Testing and Reviews Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £250 - £400 | £400 - £500 | £500 - £750 | |
Financial Crime Officer Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £750 | £750 - £900 | |
Compliance Generalist Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £400 - £550 | £550 - £650 | £650 - £800 | |
Compliance Advisory Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £400 - £600 | £550 - £700 | £700 - £900 | |
Investigations Officer Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £200 - £250 | £250 - £350 | £350 - £450 | |
Compliance Manager (Financial Services) Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £700 | £700 - £800 | |
Head of KYC Daily rate |
Compliance | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £700 | £700 - £800 | |
Internal Audit Director Daily rate |
Internal Audit | London | £800 - £900 | £900 - £1,000 | £1,000 - £1,200 | |
VP Internal Audit Daily rate |
Internal Audit | London | £500 - £600 | £600 - £700 | £700 - £800 | |
AVP Internal Audit Daily rate |
Internal Audit | London | £300 - £400 | £400 - £500 | £500 - £600 | |
Internal Auditor (newly qualified) Daily rate |
Internal Audit | London | £250 - £300 | |||
IT Audit Director Daily rate |
IT Audit / IT Risk | London | £800 - £900 | £900 - £1,000 | £1,000 - £1,200 | |
Head of IT Audit Daily rate |
IT Audit / IT Risk | London | £800 - £900 | £900 - £1,000 | £1,000 - £1,200 | |
IT Audit Senior Manager Daily rate |
IT Audit / IT Risk | London | £650 - £700 | £700 - £750 | £750 - £900 | |
IT Audit Manager Daily rate |
IT Audit / IT Risk | London | £400 - £500 | £500 - £650 | £650 - £800 | |
IT Auditor Daily rate |
IT Audit / IT Risk | London | £300 - £400 | £400 - £500 | £500 - £600 |
