Law firm salaries compared

How much do trainee lawyers and NQs earn?

The table below shows the public salary information for all firms taking part in our research. We collect salary data for first-year trainees, second-year trainees, and newly qualified lawyers.

Further reading: Are lawyers being paid too much? | How much do Barristers earn? | Are lawyers' high salaries justified? | Lawyer salaries in the US market

Firm	1st year salary	2nd year salary	NQ salary
Addleshaw Goddard	£52,000 [London], £33,000 [Leeds and Manchester], £29,000 [Scotland]	£56,000 [London], £36,000 [Leeds and Manchester], £33,000 [Scotland]	Undisclosed
Akin Gump	£60,000	£65,000	$225,000
Arnold & Porter	£55,660	£59,220	£123,000
Ashfords	£35,000 [Bristol], £35,000 [Exeter]	£37,000 [Bristol], £37,000 [Exeter]	£61,000 [Bristol], £61,000 [Exeter]
Ashurst	£52,000	£57,000	£125,000
Baker McKenzie	£55,000	£61,000	£140,000
Bates Wells	£41,000	£45,000	£73,000
Bevan Brittan	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
Bristows	£48,000	£52,000	£92,000
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner	£50,000 [London], £33,000 [Manchester and Southampton]	£55,000 [London], £37,000 [Manchester and Southampton]	£105,000 [London], £67,500 [Manchester and Southampton]
Burges Salmon	£47,000 [Bristol], £40,000 [Edinburgh]	£49,000 [Bristol], £42,000 [Edinburgh]	£72,000 [Bristol], £68,000 [Edinburgh]
Charles Russell Speechlys	£50,000 [London], £40,000 [Guildford and Cheltenham]	£53,000 [London], £43,000 [Guildford and Cheltenham]	£88,000 [London], £62,000 [Guildford and Cheltenham]
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton	£57,500	£62,500	£164,500
Clifford Chance	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
Clyde & Co	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
CMS	£50,000 [London], £43,000 [Bristol], £31,500 [One North], £28,000 [Scotland]	£55,000 [London], £45,000 [Bristol] , £34,000 [One North], £31,000 [Scotland]	£105,000 [London], £68,000 [Bristol], £60,000 [One North and Scotland]
Collyer Bristow	£39,000	£42,000	£71,000
Cooley	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
Covington & Burling	£55,000	£60,000	£165,000
Cripps	£32,000 [Tunbridge Wells]	£35,000 [Tunbridge Wells]	£58,000 [Tunbridge Wells]; £70,000 [London]
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle	£45,000	£50,000	Undisclosed
Davis Polk & Wardell	£65,000	£70,000	£180,000
Debevoise & Plimpton	£55,000	£60,000	£168,000
Dechert	£55,000	£61,000	£165,000
Dentons	£50,000	£54,000	£100,000
Devonshires	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	£65,000 [London], £55,000 [Leeds and Birmingham]
DLA Piper	£50,000 [London], £34,000 [Regional]	£55,000 [London], £37,500 [Regional]	£110,000 [London], £75,000 [Regional]
Dorsey & Whitney	£45,000	£50,000	£102,500
Druces	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
DWF	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
Farrer & Co	£45,000	£47,000	£75,000
Fladgate	£45,000	£46,000	£85,000
Foot Anstey	£38,000	£39,000	£60,000
Forsters	£45,500	£48,500	£81,000
Fox Williams	£46,000	£48,000	£78,000
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson	£55,000	£60,000	£173,000
Gateley	£39,000 [London], £33,000 [Guildford and Reading], £31,000 [Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham], £25,000 [Belfast]	£41,000 [London], £35,000 [Guildford and Reading], £33,000 [Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham], £26,000 [Belfast]	£79,000 [London], £60,500 [Guildford and Reading], £58,000 [Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham], £34,750 [Belfast]
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher	£60,000	£65,000	£180,000
Goodwin	£55,000	£60,000	£175,000
Harbottle & Lewis	£47,000	£50,000	£80,000
Haynes and Boone	£46,000	£50,000	Undisclosed
HFW	£50,000	£54	£100,000
Hill Dickinson	£43,000 [London], £30,000 [Regional]	£45,000 [London], £32,000 [Regional]	Within a range up to £80,300 [London], within a range up to £59,400 [Regional]
Hogan Lovells	£56,000 [London], £37,000 [Birmingham]	£61,000 [London], £41,000 [Birmingham]	£135,000 [London], £85,000 [Birmingham]
Howes Percival	£28,000	£30,000	Undisclosed
Irwin Mitchell	£43,000 [London], £31,000 [Regional]	£45,000 [London], £33,000 [Regional]	£58,000- £76,000 [London], £44,000 - £55,000 [Regional]
K&L Gates	£50,000	£55,000	£110,000
Kennedys	£43,000	£46,000	Varied
Kingsley Napley	£40,000	£43,000	£60,000 to £70,000
Kirkland & Ellis	£60,000	£65,000	$225,000
Latham & Watkins	£60,000	£65,000	$215,000
Lewis Silkin	£45,250	£49,500	£81,000
Linklaters	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
Macfarlanes	£56,000	£61,000	£140,000
Maples Teesdale	£40,230	£42,520	£72,450
Marriott Harrison	£40,000	£42,000	Undisclosed
Mayer Brown	£55,000	£60,000	£135,000
McDermott	£65,000	£70,000	Undisclosed
Michelmores	£36,500 [Exeter and Bristol], Undisclosed [London]	£38,500 [Exeter and Bristol], Undisclosed [London]	£72,000 [London], £58,000 [Bristol], £55,000 [Exeter]
Mills & Reeve	£31,500	£34,000	£80,000 [London], £58,000 [Regional]
Mishcon de Reya	£47,500	£52,500	£95,000
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius	£57,500	£62,500	£173,000
Morrison Foerster	£60,000	£65,000	$225,000
Muckle	£28,000	£30,000	£44,750
Norton Rose Fulbright	£50,000	£55,000	£120,000
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe	£55,000	£60,000	£140,000
Osborne Clarke	£54,500 [London]; £49,050 [Reading]; £48,000 [Bristol]	£56,500 [London]; £50,850 [Reading]; £50,000 [Bristol]	£94,000 [London]; £84,600 [Reading]; £72,000 [Bristol]
Paul Hastings	£60,000	£68,000	Undisclosed
Penningtons Manches Cooper	£48,000 [London], £40,000 [Outer London office], £33,000 [Brimingham]	£50,000 [London], £42,000 [Outer London], £35,000 [Birmingham]	Undisclosed
Reed Smith	£50,000	£55,000	£125,000
Ropes & Gray	£60,000	£65,000	£165,000
RPC	£46,000	£50,000	£80,000 - £90,000
Russell-Cooke	£46,000	£48,500	Undisclosed
RWK Goodman	£41,500 [London], £35,000 [Bath and Thames Valley]	£43,000 [London], £37,000 [Bath and Thames Valley]	£63,000 [London], £50,000 [Bath and Thames Valley]
Sidley Austin	£60,000	£65,000	£175,000
Simmons & Simmons	£52,000 [London], £47,500 [Bristol]	£57,000 [London], £49,500 [Bristol]	£120,000 [London], £76,500 [Bristol]
Skadden, Arps, Meagher, & Flom	£58,000	£63,000	£173,000
Slaughter and May	£56,000	£61,000	£150,000
Squire Patton Boggs	£47,000 [London], £30,000 [Regional]	£50,000 [London], £33,000 [Regional]	£100,000 [London], £65,000 [Regional]
Stevens & Bolton	£40,000	£41,000	£65,000
Sullivan & Cromwell	£60,000	£65,000	Undisclosed
Taylor Wessing	£50,000	£55,000	£115,000
Thomson Snell & Passmore	£30,000	£31,500	Undisclosed
TLT	£36,500	£39,000	£62,000
Travers Smith	£54,000	£59,000	£120,000
Trowers & Hamlins	£45,000 [London], £31,000 [Regional]	£49,000 [London], £33,000 [Regional]	£80,000 [London], £60,000 [Regional]
Vinson & Elkins	£60,000	£65,000	£173,077
VWV	£41,000 [London], £38,000 [Watford], £34,000 [Bristol and Birmingham]	£43,000 [London], £40,000 [Watford], £36,000 [Bristol and Birmingham]	£68,000 [London], £64,000 [Watford], £56,000 [Bristol and Birmingham]
Ward Hadaway	£32,000	£34,000	£50,000
Watson Farley & Williams	£50,000	£55,000	£102,000
Wedlake Bell	£42,000	£45,000	£78,000
Weil, Gotshal & Manges	£60,000	£65,000	£170,000
White & Case	£62,000	£67,000	£175,000
Wilkin Chapman	£24,500	£26,500	£38,000
Willkie Farr & Gallagher	£55,000	£60,000	£165,000
Wilsons	£30,000	£32,000	£50,000
Winckworth Sherwood	£39,000	£42,500	£70,000
Withers	£45,000	£49,000	£90,000
Womble Bond Dickinson	£42,000 [London], £36,000 [Bristol], £32,000 [Plymouth and Southampton], £28,000 [Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle]	£44,000 [London], £38,000 [Bristol], £34,000 [Plymouth and Southampton], £30,000 [Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle]	£80,000 [London], £62,000 [Bristol], £58,000 [Leeds], £55,000 [Edinburgh and Southampton], £52,000 [Newcastle and Plymouth]

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