Up 18%
DLA Piper has boosted the salaries of its newly qualified associates in the London office to £130,000.
This marks an 18% rise — or an additional £20,000 — from the previous City rate of £110,000.
The pay boost means DLA Piper’s new associates now out-earn their counterparts at firms such as Ashurst and Reed Smith (£125,000), as well as CMS, which raised its rates to £120,000 last week.
Salaries in the firm’s regional offices have also increased from £75,000 to £82,000 — a rise of just over 9%.
In addition to the rise for newly qualified solicitors, London-based trainees will see their salaries increase to £52,000 in their first year and £57,000 in their second year. Trainees outside the capital will earn £35,500 and £39,000, respectively.
The rises are effective from 1 September.
Andrew Dyson, UK country managing partner, said:
“We are making a significant investment into our people in the UK, recognising the importance of the UK legal market as a focus for growth within our international strategy. We are delighted to enhance the rewards to newly qualifying solicitors at a level that reflects the high performance of our firm in the UK.”