Orrick boosts NQ lawyer pay to £140,000

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By Bradley Fountain-Green on

36

Extra £10,000

Orrick has increased salaries for its newly qualified (NQ) solicitors in London, Legal Cheek can reveal.

NQ base rates have risen 8%, from an already impressive £130,000 to £140,000.

Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List shows the increase brings Orrick in line with fellow US player White & Case, which also offers £140k at NQ level.

The 2023 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

Trainee pay in Orrick’s London office starts at £55,000, rising to £60,000 in year two. The firm offers around five training contracts every year.

Earlier this month Legal Cheek reported that Mayer Brown had moved junior lawyer pay to £120,000, a 12% increase from £107,500. Other firms to have boost rates in recent weeks include Bird & Bird, HFWDentons, Taylor Wessing, Travers Smith, CMS, Simmons & Simmons, and Ashurst.

36 Comments

Curious

Unrelated to Orrick but any scope for HSF to increase on trainee pay soon?

HSF equity partner

Get back to work, you incompetent drone

Anna

You’re a trainee. Enough.

Ben

Still way below market lol

D

Is it really below?? Don’t they have more reasonable hours as a US firm?

Ben

Yep, nearly 30k. Market is like 168 at current rates.

C

Yeah, Orrick are not the same level as K&E and Latham are they? They are more niche dealing with energy/infra; tech etc

Ben

They pay market in NYC *shrug

5 eye'd oracle

Every firm pays market in NYC

You call that below market, there’s much much worse

Lol there’s a US firm called Dorsey & Whitney that pay NQs £82k..even Shoosmiths pay more 🤣

So not all US firms pay the crazy salaries

Joe

Any news on Norton Rose?

I only know non-satellite offices

Who?

News

Any news on the ES rising soon?

f

Can’t keep up. Who you reckon is next to rise??

D

Tbh I thought NQ salary for white & case would be more tbh in line with Weil etc…maybe they’ll rise

US trainee

White & Case are not an elite US firm *in the US* so they are not as profitable as other US firms plus reduced profitability from too many international offices

w&c trainee

How are you defining ‘elite’ because what you’ve said is simply not true. W&C ranks among the top 10 American firms and pays on the Cravath scale in the US.

C

S&M should rise for their uncompetitive NQ salary…but will they? No. Because they are a “leading firm”

C

Is there any such thing as a U.S. law firm with reasonable hours. I’ve been told Faegre Drinker has good hours although couldn’t tell you what their NQ salary is..

Cidre Drinker

About tree fiddy

US associates

STB and Ropes are both lifestyle firms.

Huh

What makes them lifestyle firms?

Jack

Brainless work, high salary, a little bit of crunch time.

JS

STB one of the sweatiest shops out there

Associate

Arguably two of the worst firms for WLB

Weightmans Associate

The day we get a pay rise is the day Tottenham stops bottling it

Another Weightmans Associate

Those of us who are performing receive a decent increase every September and have done so for as long as I have been here, along with the occasional ad-hoc bonus (albeit small). If you genuinely have not had an increase in some time, you may need to start asking yourself why that is.

Come onnn

Will AG or pinsets rise….

F

One day they’ll be a Saudi Arabia/Dubai law firm and that will open an office in London that will offer £200k (+ bonus) for NQs and 3PQEs will be earning £380k (+bonus).

That’s when the legal competition will really commence. Mark my words boys/girls.

Luean

Well, Orrickkk then…I know its a lot of money but this feels so dated.

Anon

Any news on white & case insiders? Very surprising they’re still at 140…

I love the sweat

Sweaty rich…😉

C

With ST having no trainees is the work easier for associates as you’re not having to delegate or supervise as much?

Analyst

Time for WFW or BCLP to make a move?

BungoToots

…to the regions!

Popon

Agreed, the time now seems ripe

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