Exclusive: Rise of over 30%
International outfit Hogan Lovells has confirmed to Legal Cheek that pay for its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers in Birmingham now sits at a hefty £70,000.
The uplift from £53,000 equates to an extra £17,000, or 32%. Trainee pay currently sits at £32,000 in year one, rising to £35,000 in year two.
But the firm only offers a handful of training contracts in Birmingham, with the vast majority of its 50 or so trainees annually based in London. They earn £50,000 in their first year and £55,000 in their second, and £107,500 upon qualification.
The announcement follows a furry of regional rises over the recent months, which kicked off with DLA Piper announcing a pay rise to £65,000 for its regional rookies back in February. Several firms have made their own moves, including a rise to £61,000 at Pinsent Masons, a hike to £65,000 at Squire Patton Boggs, and most recently Shoosmiths, which moved NQ pay to £58,000 across most of its regional offices.
Regional rises: who has increased so far?
| Firm | Trainee pay (Year 1) | Trainee pay (Year 2) | NQ base rate |
| Addleshaw Goddard | Leeds and Manchester: £29,500; Scotland: £25,000 | Leeds and Manchester: £32,000; Scotland: £28,000 | Leeds and Manchester: £62,000; Scotland: £56,000 |
| BCLP | Manchester: £30,000 | Manchester: £35,000 | Manchester: £51,000 |
| CMS | Bristol: £41,500; Manchester and Sheffield: £30,000; Edinburgh and Glasgow: £26,775 | Bristol: £42,525; Manchester and Sheffield: £33,075; Edinburgh and Glasgow: £29,925 | Bristol: £61,000; Manchester and Sheffield: £51,750; Edinburgh and Glasgow: £51,750 |
| DLA Piper | All regional offices: £30,000 | All regional offices: £33,000 | All regional offices: £65,000 |
| Eversheds Sutherland | All regional offices: £28,500 | All regional offices: £31,000 | All regional offices: £62,000 |
| Hogan Lovells | Birmingham: £32,000 | Birmingham: £35,000 | Birmingham: £70,000 |
| Gowling WLG | Birmingham: £29,000 | Birmingham: £32,000 | Birmingham: £52,000 |
| Pinsent Masons | All regional offices: £27,000 | All regional offices: £30,000 | All regional offices: £61,000 |
| RPC | Bristol: £35,000 | Bristol: £36,000 | Bristol: £56,000 |
| Shoosmiths | Regions: £28,500; Edinburgh: £26,500 | Regions: £29,500; Edinburgh: £27,500 | Regions: £58,000; Scotland: £54,500; Thames Valley: £63,800 |
| Simmons & Simmons | Bristol: £40,500 | Bristol: £42,500 | Bristol: £68,000 |
| Squire Patton Boggs | All regional offices: £30,000 | All regional offices: £33,000 | All regional offices: £65,000 |
| Trowers & Hamlins | All regional offices: £30,000 | All regional offices: £32,000 | All regional offices: £50,000 |
