Matching moves by three out of five magic circle members
Linklaters is offering its future London trainees £10,000 in financial support during the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL).
The new sum equates to an uplift of 25%, up £2,000 on the global outfit’s previous maintenance grant of £8,000. The increase will apply to all students from September 2019 onwards.
Today’s money move means Links is now the fourth member of the magic circle to bump its GDL offering to £10,000. Clifford Chance, Freshfields and Slaughter and May all award their trainees-to-be the coveted five-figure sum. The remaining member of the elite fivesome, Allen & Overy, offers its GDL’ers £9,000.
Linklaters (like with the rest of the magic circle) awards its rookies £10,000 in support during the Legal Practice Course (LPC).
Links’ lot studying outside of London will also see GDL grants swell by 29%. The firm confirmed they will receive £9,000, up £2,000 from £7,000.
The firm’s newest recruits complete the GDL — the year-long conversion course non-law grads must undertake to train as a lawyer — at The University of Law’s Moorgate campus. The firm, which offers around 100 training contracts each year, more than any other City outfit, also fully funds GDL course fees.
Today’s uplift follows news this month that Linklaters had upped its total newly qualified (NQ) solicitor pay package to £100,000 comprising a base salary and discretionary performance bonus.
