Extra £5k
Hogan Lovells has raised the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) associates in London to £140,000, the firm has confirmed.
This marks a £5,000 increase from the previous rate of £135,000, which was introduced following an uplift last summer.
The firm stressed that base salaries are only “one component of lawyer remuneration” and that it operates a “total compensation matrix that includes a competitive bonus scheme, taking into account both chargeable work and other contributions to the firm and our values”.
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Hogan Lovells’ City NQs now earn the same as their counterparts at Baker McKenzie and Macfarlanes, and pull ahead of those at Herbert Smith Freehills who earn £135,000.
The firm recruits around 50 trainees each year on starting salary of £56,000, rising to £61,000 in year two.
Hogan Lovells has also confirmed that NQ pay in Birmingham remains unchanged at market-leading £85,000. Trainee salaries in London also remain the same, at £56,000 in the first year, rising to £61,000 in the second year.
Earlier this year Legal Cheek reported that the firm had achieved another year of solid financial growth, with total global revenue reaching $2.97 billion (£2.32 billion) in 2024, up 9% from the previous year.