12.5% raise
Norton Rose Fulbright has raised the salary for its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers in London to £135,000.
This marks a £15,000 increase from the previous salary of £120,000, representing a raise of 12.5%. The new rate takes effect on 1 April.
Trainee pay remains unchanged, with the City cohort earning £50,000 in the first year and £55,000 in the second year.
This latest pay raise brings NRF’s London NQ salary ahead of outfits including Ashurst and Reed Smith which both offer £125,000 on qualification, and in line with Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells and Mayer Brown.
NRF confirmed that salaries have been raised throughout the ranks, and that NQs who “achieve the required hours” are now able to earn between £143,000 and £189,000.
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows that the firm takes on around 50 trainees each year in its London office, with 80% of trainees retained in the Autumn.
A spokesperson for the firm said:
“As a firm, we are committed to providing competitive remuneration, through a combination of base salary, performance bonus and benefits. We believe this change will allow us to continue to attract the best talent in the market, as well as ensuring our high performing lawyers at all levels are rewarded competitively for their contribution.”
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