For any legal job, you need to be careful, logical and accurate. You should have a good memory and be able to think quickly.

As of December 2025 there was 20,100 legal professionals in Scotland, including over 11,900 solicitors and lawyers. ¹ The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service employs around 1,900 people across 50 locations in Scotland in roles that support the legal system, including court officers and administrative assistants and officers. ³

What areas can I work in?

Sectors in this career area include professional law, legal support services and patent work.

There is a range of jobs at different levels, from administrative posts such as court officer, through to professional roles such as solicitor or patent attorney.

Law degrees are also suitable for employment in other career areas, for example business management.

To see the routes to getting into each of these sectors, take a look at our Career Pathway.

What kind of companies can I work for?

Companies you may work for include:

• legal firms
• the Scottish Court Service
• the Civil Service
• local government
• Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)
• Faculty of Advocates
• public bodies, such as the Citizens' Advice Bureau.

What’s the job market like?

According to Prospects and AGCAS, 51.6% of law graduates from the academic year 2022/23 went on to full time employment within 15 months of graduating. 40.2% of those found employment in legal, social or welfare roles. Of those graduating, 10.1% went on to further study. A further 14.4% continued to study whilst working. ⁴

The Law Society of Scotland currently has over 13,000 members. 5 In 2025 there were 796 trainee solicitors in Scotland, an increase from 764 in 2024. ⁵

Facts and figures

• The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) represent the interests of over 4,500 practising patent attorneys and other intellectual property professionals. ⁶
• As of 2025, 59.1% of practising solicitors were female. ⁵
• As of March 2025, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) employed 2,416 full time staff. They also had 62 trainee solicitors and 43 Modern Apprentices. ⁷
• The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service processes over 250,000 cases each year. ³
• The Scottish Legal Aid Board employs around 300 staff 2 and provides over 170,000 grants for legal assistance each year. ⁸

Want to find out more?

The Law Society of Scotland website has an Education and Careers section with lots of useful information.

The Scottish Paralegal Association website has information on qualifying in this area.

Sources

¹ Annual Population Survey - Occupation by sex, employment status and full/part-time -  Scotland, Nomis (December 2025)

² Scottish Legal Aid Board website (June 2026)

³ People Strategy 2024-2028, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service

⁴ What do graduates do? Prospects (part of Jisc) and AGCAS (2024/25) 

⁵ The Law Society of Scotland Annual Report 2025

⁶ The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) website (May 2026)

⁷ Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) Annual Report 2024-25

⁸ Reform vital for Scotland’s legal aid system despite record annual spend, Scottish Legal Aid Board (30 October 2025)

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Career Pathway