Rises in regions too
CMS has raised the salary for its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers in London to £110,000.
This marks a £5,000 increase from the previous salary of £105,000, representing a raise of just under 5%
NQ associates in regional offices have also received salary increases. In Bristol, their pay has risen by £2,000, from £68,000 to £70,000. Similarly, NQs in Manchester and Sheffield will see their salaries increase from £60,000 to £62,000.
Trainee pay remains unchanged, with the City cohort earning £50,000 in the first year and £55,000 in the second year. Trainees in Bristol receive £43,000 and £45,000, while those in Manchester and Sheffield earn £31,500 in the first year and £34,500 in the second year.
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows that the firm takes on around 90 trainees each year across its London, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen offices.
This latest pay raise brings CMS’s London salary in line with DLA Piper and K&L Gates, and surpasses BCLP, which offers £105,000.
