More MoneyLaw! Skadden boosts London junior lawyer pay to £144k

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By Legal Cheek on

8% rise

Skadden is the latest major US law firm to boost the already hefty salaries of its junior lawyers in London.

The New York-headquartered outfit’s newly qualified (NQ) lawyers will now receive a pay packet of £144,000 — a rise of 8% from £133,000.

The new and improved rate sees Skadden’s UK lot leapfrog their opposite numbers at the likes of Davis Polk (£135k), Shearman & Sterling (£135k), and close in on US competitors such as Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins (both around £145k).

The 2021 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows the firm recruits just 12 trainees each year on a starting salary of £50,000. Pay jumps to £55,000 in year two, before rocking to the new £144k rate upon qualification.

A host of US firms have upped their cash offerings in recent months as they look to put further distance between themselves and their UK rivals on the pay league ladder.

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