£60k base salary
Trowers & Hamlins has increased pay for its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers working in the Birmingham, Exeter and Manchester offices to £60,000. This an increase of £10,000, or 20%, from £50,000.
The firm’s London NQ rates are also on the up, £77,500 to £80,000.
Paul Marco, joint managing partner and head of dispute resolution at Trowers, commented: “In all our locations we strive to ensure that we’re on-market for our people. Other firms have also been pushing salaries up, and we have now landed in the right place for our NQs.”
The firm last increased pay at the beginning of the year which brought NQ rates in the regions and London to £50,000 and £77,500.
This is the latest rise as the NQ pay war has extended to the regions. Recently DLA Piper, Addleshaw Goddard and Shoosmiths have all seen rises to around the £60k mark, whilst Hogan Lovells currently tops the tables offering its Birmingham NQs £70,000.
Regional rises: how things stand…
| 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 |
| Gowling WLG | Birmingham: £29,000 | Birmingham: £32,000 | Birmingham: £52,000 |
| Hogan Lovells | Birmingham: £32,000 | Birmingham: £35,000 | Birmingham: £70,000 |
| 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: £60,000 |
