Bird & Bird bumps NQ solicitor pay to £102k

Avatar photo

By Legal Cheek on

10

Rise of just over 4%

City of London at sunset
City law firm Bird & Bird will increase salaries for its newly qualified (NQ) solicitors from September.

The outfit confirmed rates for its new associates will move from £98,000 to £102,000, an uplift of just over 4% or an extra £4k

The move will see Bird & Bird offer a six-figure NQ salary for the first time, bringing it in line with Watson Farley & Williams and putting it ahead of Dentons, HFW, and Stephenson Harwood (£100,000).

The 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Bird & Bird recruits around 18 trainees each year on starting salary of £47,000.

A number of firms have increased junior lawyer salaries in recent weeks, with Eversheds Sutherland and Pinsent Masons raising pay to £110,000 and £105,000 respectively. Elsewhere, Ashurst (£125,000 to £140,000), DLA Piper (£110,000 to £130,000), and CMS (£110,000 to £120,000) have also announced pay rises.

10 Comments

Kirkland NQ

I thought there was something wrong with my phone, but no, they are offering that little as an NQ salary.

Non-US Advocate

Hourly rate probably works out better than those gullible enough to work at Kirkland…

Kirkland NQ

Sorry can you repeat? Couldn’t hear you over the sound of my Lambo.

Paul, Weiss NQ

A Lambo? Chortling over the sounds of my Bugatti at the utter chicken feed they must pay you poor mortals at Kirkys. Stiff upper lip!

Anonymous

Wen HSF?

Latham SA

Yikes

SH trainee

LOL, SH being slow as usual

Mid-Tier Associate

With Bird & Bird, Eversheds, and others raising salaries, my eyes are now on Watson Farley & Williams and Stephenson Harwood. The pay war has clearly moved beyond just the US firms and Magic Circle. It’s heating up across the mid-tier too.

CRS

Internal talk is that the CRS NQ salary should be getting a pretty hefty increase into 6 figures

Hmm

Can’t see CRS doing a £12k+ pay rise and tucking in just behind B&B…

Join the conversation