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
Name |
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] | £95,000 [London]; £62,000 [Leeds and Manchester]; £56,000 [Scotland] |
| Akin Gump | £57,500 | £62,500 | $215,000 |
| Arnold & Porter | £55,660 | £59,290 | £113,900 |
| Ashfords | £41,000 [London]; £35,000 [Bristol]; £32,000 [Exeter & Plymouth] | £43,000 [London]; £37,000 [Bristol]; £34,000 [Exeter & Plymouth] | £60,000 [London]; £55,000 [Bristol]; £54,000 [Exeter & Plymouth] |
| Baker McKenzie | £50,000 | £55,000 | £118,000 |
| Bates Wells | £41,000 | £43,000 | Undisclosed |
| Bevan Brittan | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Boodle Hatfield | £45,000 | £48,000 | £83,000 |
| Bristows | £46,000 | £50,000 | £88,000 |
| Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £50,000 [London]; £33,000 [Manchester] | £55,000 [London] £37,000 [Manchester] | £105,000 [London]; £67,000 [Manchester] |
| Burges Salmon | £45,000 [London]; £34,000 [Edinburgh] | £47,000 [London]; £36,000 [Edinburgh] | £68,000 |
| Charles Russell Speechlys | £47,000 [London]; £37,000 [Guildford]; £35,000 [Cheltenham] | £50,000 [London]; £40,000 [Guildford]; £37,000 [Cheltenham] | £80,000 [London]; £60,000 [Guildford]; £60,000 [Cheltenham] |
| Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton | £57,500 | £62,500 | £160,000 |
| Clyde & Co | £42,000 | £44,500 | £80,000 |
| CMS | £50,000 | £55,000 | £105,000 |
| Collyer Bristow | £37,000 | £40,000 | £70,000 |
| Cooley | £55,000 | £60,000 | £150,000 |
| Covington & Burling | £55,000 | £60,000 | £151,000 |
| Cripps | £30,000 [Tunbridge Wells] | £32,000 [Tunbridge Wells] | £58,000 [London]; £50,000 [Tunbridge Wells] |
| Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle | £45,000 | £50,000 | Undisclosed |
| Davis Polk & Wardell | £60,000 | £65,000 | £165,000 |
| Debevoise & Plimpton | £55,000 | £60,000 | £160,500 |
| Dentons | £48,000 [London]; £33,000 [Milton Keynes]; £27,000 [Scotland] | £52,000 [London]; £35,000 [Milton Keynes]; £30,000 [Scotland] | £95,000 [London]; £65,000 [Milton Keynes]; £62,000 [Scotland] |
| Devonshires | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | £65,000 [London]; £50,000 [Leeds] |
| DLA Piper | £50,000 [London]; £34,000 [Rest of the UK] | £55,000 [London]; £37,500 [Rest of the UK] | £100,000 [London]; £68,500 [Rest of the UK] |
| Dorsey & Whitney | £45,000 | £50,000 | £95,000 |
| DWF | £38,000 | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Farrer & Co | £42,000 | £45,000 | £73,000 |
| Foot Anstey | £37,000 | £39,000 | £60,000 |
| Fox Williams | £44,000 | £46,000 | £77,000 |
| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £50,000 | £55,000 | £125,000 |
| Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | £60,000 | £65,000 | £180,000 |
| Goodwin | £52,000 | £57,000 | £160,000 |
| Harbottle & Lewis | £46,000 | £49,000 | £78,000 |
| HFW | £46,000 | £50,000 | £95,000 |
| Hill Dickinson | £28,000 [Northern]; £39,000 [London] | £30,000 [Northern]; £41,000 [London] | Up to £52,000 [Northern]; Up tp £72,000 [London] |
| Howes Percival | £28,000 | £30,000 | Undisclosed |
| Irwin Mitchell | £41,500 [London]; £29,500 [Regional] | £43,500 [London]; £31,500 [Regional] | £58,000 - £75,000 [London]; £43,000 - £50,500 [Regional] |
| K&L Gates | £50,000 | £55,000 | £110,000 |
| Kennedys | £41,000 [London]; £29,000 [Regional]; £22,000 [Scotland] | £45,000 [London]; £32,000 [Regional]; £25,000 [Scotland] | Varied |
| Kingsley Napley | £40,000 | £43,000 | Undisclosed |
| Kirkland & Ellis | £60,000 | £65,000 | $215,000 |
| Latham & Watkins | £55,000 | £60,000 | $215,000 |
| Leigh Day | £36,000 | £38,000 | £52,000 |
| Lewis Silkin | £43,250 | £47,350 | £78,000 |
| Maples Teesdale | £38,868 | £41,079 | £70,000 |
| Marriott Harrison | £40,000 | £42,000 | £70,000 |
| Mayer Brown | £50,000 | £55,000 | £120,000 |
| Michelmores | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Mills & Reeve | TBC | TBC | £80,000 |
| Mishcon de Reya | £45,000 | £50,000 | £90,000 |
| Morgan, Lewis & Bockius | £50,000 | £55,000 | £150,000 |
| Muckle | £28,000 | £30,000 | £44,750 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright | £48,500 | £53,000 | £120,000 |
| Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe | £55,000 | £60,000 | £140,000 |
| Osborne Clarke | £46,500 | £48,500 | £70,000 |
| Paul Hastings | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Pinsent Masons | £30,500 [Manchester, Birmingham & Leeds]; £30,000 [Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen]; £47,000 [London] | £33,500 [Manchester, Birmingham & Leeds]; £33,000 [Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen]; £51,500 [London] | £61,000 [Manchester, Birmingham & Leeds]; £61,000 [Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen]; £92,000 [London] |
| Ropes & Gray | £57,500 | £62,500 | £147,000 |
| RPC | £44,000 | £48,000 | £85,000 [Commercial]; £80,000 [Insurance] |
| RWK Goodman | £28,000 | £30,000 | £46,000 |
| Sidley Austin | £55,000 | £60,000 | £166,500 |
| Simmons & Simmons | £52,000 [London]; £46,000 [Bristol] | £55,000 [London]; £48,000 [Bristol] | £107,500 [London]; £72,000 [Bristol] |
| Skadden, Arps, Meagher, & Flom | £58,000 | £63,000 | £165,000 |
| Slaughter and May | £50,000 | £55,000 | £125,000 |
| Squire Patton Boggs | £30,000 | £33,000 | £65,000 |
| Stephenson Harwood | £48,500 | £53,500 | £95,000 |
| Stevens & Bolton | £40,000 | £42,000 | £62,000 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell | £60,000 | £65,000 | Undisclosed |
| Taylor Wessing | £50,000 [London, Cambridge] | £55,000 [London, Cambridge] | £100,000 [London, Cambridge] |
| Travers Smith | £50,000 | £55,000 | £110,000 |
| Trowers & Hamlins | £45,000 [London]; £31,000 [Birmingham, Exeter and Manchester] | £49,000 [London]; £33,000 [Birmingham, Exeter and Manchester] | £80,000 [London]; £60,000 [Birmingham, Exeter and Manchester] |
| Vinson & Elkins | £60,000 | £65,000 | £173,822 |
| VWV | £28,000 [Bristol]; £28,000 [Birmingham]; £36,000 [London]; £33,000 [Watford] | £30,000 [Bristol]; £30,000 [Birmingham]; £38,000 [London]; £35,000 [Watford] | £48,000 [Bristol]; £48,000 [Birmingham]; £60,000 [London]; £54,000 [Watford] |
| Ward Hadaway | £28,000 | £30,000 | £47,500 |
| Wedlake Bell | £40,000 | £42,500 | £75,000 |
| Weil, Gotshal & Manges | £60,000 | £65,000 | £170,000 |
| White & Case | £56,000 | £61,000 | £150,000 |
| Wilkin Chapman | £23,000 | £25,000 | £36,000 |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher | £55,000 | £60,000 | £150,000 |
| Wilsons | £28,500 | £30,500 | £48,000 |
| Winckworth Sherwood | £38,000 | £42,000 | £67,000 |
| Withers | £45,000 | £49,000 | £90,000 |
| Womble Bond Dickinson | £36,000 | £38,000 | £60,000 |
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