The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is set to abolish the minimum wage requirement for trainee solicitors in favour of the national minimum wage of £6.08 per hour.

The change, which was voted in today (16 May) by the SRA board, will come into effect from 1 August 2014. After that date, employers will only be required to pay trainees the main rate for employees under the national minimum wage regulations.

After a consultation which began in January, the SRA board agreed today (16 May) that setting a minimum salary level for trainees above the national minimum wage was not in the public interest – but in order to minimise the impact, the change will be deferred for two years' time.

The current minimum salary levels for trainees are set at £18,590 in central London and £16,650 outside, with the rates frozen in the past two years to reflect the economic downturn.

The policy, which dates back to 1982, was designed to protect budding lawyers from being exploited and to encourage high calibre graduates into the profession, before the Labour Government's introduction of the national minimum wage in 1998.

SRA executive director Samantha Barrass (pictured) said: "We wish to thank everyone who responded to the consultation, and those who took part in the stakeholder meetings, focus groups, and the online survey for their views and information that were taken into account in reaching this decision.

"This decision was based on an objective consideration of very full and detailed evidence gathered through a variety of sources."

There were 130 responses to the consultation, while around 60 individuals attended nine focus group sessions across four cities, with more than 1,300 individuals responding to the SRA's online survey.

The SRA had not reviewed the minimum wage requirement since taking over responsibility for prescribing the compulsory rate from the Law Society in 2007.