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Beyond NQ: What’s the salary progression like at your firm?

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By Legal Cheek on

84

Open thread 💬 💷


So far, it’s shaping up to be another summer of salary boosts across the City — some relatively minor, others more substantial.

As in previous years, Legal Cheek commenters have questioned what impact these pay rises have further up the ladder, beyond newly qualified (NQ) level.

Are pay bands being squeezed, as some commenters suggest? Or are firms increasing salaries across the PQE levels too?

The 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

With this in mind, one Legal Cheek reader dropped below the line on a recent pay story to ask:

“I think it’s time for another article where associates spill the information about band pay…. Great to see all these headlines for NQs but we need to know what’s going on between the PQE bands and only other associates can share this info.”

So, in what’s becoming something of a summer tradition, we’ve created this open thread for our trusty readers to share insider knowledge in the Legal Cheek comments section below. The aim is to build an overview by firm (London or regions), department, class year, and salary (base plus bonus for the latest financial year).

84 Comments

Anonymous

9PQE at Ashurst – £190,500. Thinking of moving to a US firm for the big bucks though.

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(27)(1)

US lev chinner

That’s interesting. A recruiter reached out to me (6PQE) for an Ashurst job and said it would be 155k plus 25% bonus, which I thought was wildly low considering the quality and time expectations at Lashurst.

Come join us in the Cravath world. I’m paid double the salary that said Ashurst offers.

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(12)(1)

Information sharer

The recruiter lied – as a lifer I can confirm Ashurst doesn’t pay 25% bonus unless you had a full on year (~2200+ hours).

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(12)(0)

olgoi

The £155k for 6PQE sounds about right.

Just make sure to avoid the Corporate Transactions team, it’s a toxic revolving door spinning at 1000rpm.

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(6)(0)

Archibald O'Pomposity

“Just make sure to avoid the Corporate Transactions team, it’s a toxic revolving door spinning at 1000rpm.”

It’s headed by Nick Williamson.

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(1)(2)

Anon

What’s wrong with him?

Big Law Bad Boy (was Bombay)

What is there to think about?!?!

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(1)(0)

SH NQ

Stephenson Harwood bunching is so so bad! 4PQEs are being paid only 5-10k more than NQs, and still below all of the silver circle NQs let alone MC/US firms. The firm seems to pump all of its cash into hiring new partners instead of retaining and promoting internally, and it’s making the firm lose its best junior talent. The churn of junior associates over the past couple of years has been incredible.

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(29)(0)

Up north

Do you still have that 80% work remotely anywhere scheme?

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(12)(0)

Sh nq increase?!

Has it quietly moved to 105k?!
https://www.shlegal-futuretalent.com/opportunities/training-contracts/london-training-contract

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(6)(0)

6PQE

DLA – 6PQE between £143 – £155 but it varies massively from team to team. I’ve heard of people being on more than that. Still, outrageous bunching, given that NQ salary is at £130 at the moment.

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(12)(1)

Anonymous

If you don’t mind me asking, what keeps you from moving to a firm with less bunching? Is it DLA’s billing targets (compared to other firms), or maybe in a practice area which other firms don’t have large teams for?

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(6)(0)

Anonymous

Do DLA offer bonuses/how much are they?

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(0)(0)

Anon

If you have a stellar year (both performance and hours wise, 2000+), you can get up to 40% as a bonus. They often use this to justify lower salaries.

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(0)(0)

Anon

5PQE DLA c. £148k. – tbf the bunching is there but definitely not as bad as other firms. At 1 year PQE at another international firm I was on £500 more than the NQs, which is madness.

Bonus wise, 5% is pretty easy to get so long as you hit hours target (just moved to 1550) but obviously fairly negligible. Theoretically up to 40% is available but this would involve hitting over 2000 hours and a clean sweep of top marks on performance review categories (some of which seem to be kept deliberately vague, meaning how grades are assigned is quite arbitrary). If you’re hitting 40% bonus territory you’re probably doing so many hours that you may as well have moved to a US firm. Personally, I’m okay with c.£150k for weeks which rarely go over 40 hours.

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(0)(0)

SPB 6PQE

SPB – 6PQE – £132K lol ☠️

+ terrible bns. Nothing for hitting 1,600 target. 1% of base salary for every 16 hours over 1,600 hrs.

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(8)(1)

DoorKnob

That’s not bad mate. OC 5PQE on £110k with zero bonus this year as per.

People keep jumping ship left right and centre.

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(4)(0)

Papa don’t preach

Bakers anyone?

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(3)(0)

Underpaid BM senior working MC hours

7pqe – 168k…

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(10)(0)

CC 5PQE

CC 5PQE – £185,000
4PQE was £175,000 plus bonus of £70,000

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(16)(0)

US mid associate

US Firm base is £283k at 4pqe.

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(8)(6)

not true

that’s not true, 4PQE is USD 310 / what ever spot rate the firm gives. mostly around 235-250 depending on firm. this is true at K&E, LW, etc.

i think exception is Goodwin who randomly pay more at each band.

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(6)(3)

Big Law Bad Boy (was Bombay)

4th year on the Cravath scale doesn’t equate to 4PQE.

I’m a September 2021 qualifier (so 3pqe currently) and am on the 4th year Cravath scale (USD 310 plus bonus) because my qualification year is 2021. Admittedly, from September to December I will be 4pqe and paid the same but come January I will be on year 5 Cravath at circa £280k plus bonus whilst still being 4pqe until September 2026.

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(7)(1)

ok, but that's still misleading.

it only really benefits you like that if you’re a sept qualifier. I’m march 2021 but 4 PQE / 2021 class year currently. move up a class year in Jan while i’m still 4 PQE until march… but it doesn’t really imply that i’m an entire class year ahead which the original post does.

Hm

Stacks up pretty favourably post-bonus.

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(0)(0)

Anonymous

Macfarlanes anyone?

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(3)(0)

Anon Macs

4pqe £185k (excl. bonus)

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(2)(0)

Anonymous

Anyone at HSF Kramer?

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(17)(0)

AkinChump

Akin 4PQE a hair over £300k total, can’t be too specific as bonus amounts are fairly tailored.

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(12)(0)

Anonymous

Shoosmiths (London) 5 PQE = £102,500 (with NQ salary at £97k)

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(4)(6)

Anonymouse

Did you start at Shoosmiths as an NQ? What was the salary then?

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(0)(0)

An honourable man

Any Shoos regional intel?

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(1)(0)

Legallynotblonde

5 year PQE Shoos regional on £67K…

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(0)(0)

anon

Anyone at Clyde &Co?

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(8)(1)

TopKek

Bout treefiddy and a malt biscuit as a bonuz. yea boi

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(1)(1)

White & Case

£200,000 at 2PQE. This is roughly the same as in the US, possibly a bit more depending on what the exchange rate is right now. After this it becomes team-based and ‘discretionary,’ which is annoyingly un-transparent.

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(12)(0)

Anonymous

What are your bonuses?

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(4)(0)

White & Case

Could be higher, but thresholds are very achievable. When I leave, it won’t be because I’m unhappy about remuneration.

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(1)(0)

Unknown

Anyone have any responses for firms outside of london? I’m thinking if it’s a 50K nq salary what’s a 2/4/6 pqe earning?

Not all of us are good enough for these triple didgies

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(11)(0)

Anon

Snr Assoc (7PQE) – Regions – £75k

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(2)(0)

SadarBazaar

lmaoooooooo u livin in a wheelie bin ye ?

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(2)(10)

Anonymous

Associate – international firm regional office – 3pqe – £74k

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(0)(0)

IncomingTrainee

Anyone at Freshfields? Thanks

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(1)(0)

Sharing is caring

FF 7PQE – £205,000. Bonus 40% if 1,800 billables and subject to reasonable BD contribution.

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(11)(0)

MCTrainee

This is really helpful, thanks! Do you know what the salary is like 1QE-5QE?

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(0)(0)

AV

Anyone who can guide for salary brackets at Irwin Mitchell (London) for a Legal Director position? Also, for PQE 7 to 8 years.

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(0)(0)

Bbcedlaw

LW 6pqe – 300k base, c.100k bonus depending on reviews etc. next year c.325000 base

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(7)(0)

HL meh

HL – £155k at 3.5 PQE, c. £30k bonus

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(7)(0)

dfjdkjfsl

Anyone know Slaughters?

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(8)(0)

Slaughtersalltheway

150K from NQ to before PQE2, and 158K for PQE2

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(0)(0)

Bristol 8yrs pqe

£95k base, about a 10% bonus for doing 1,400 hours. The maximum is 25-30% for 1,800 – 2,100 (I’d work in London if I was putting those hours in each year).

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(0)(0)

Anonymouse

Do you mind sharing which firm?

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(2)(0)

toiler

This has got to be OC or Burges Salmon.

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(4)(1)

Kirkland NQ

The ‘land. Enough to bankrupt a small Eastern European nation.

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(6)(9)

Slaughters 4PQE

Slaughters 4PQE – £191,000 (plus two pitiful bonuses paid in June and December)

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(4)(1)

slash

Is 191 including the bonuses?

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(0)(11)

MCTrainee

What’s pitiful, 10%?

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(0)(0)

Hello

Ropes ??

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(2)(2)

Rope rope rope your boat

5PQE – 255k + c.100k bonus at 1900 hours

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(0)(0)

US Firms - Deets

Any data on top US shops? Base and bonus? Likes of K&E, P,W, Milbank, Gibson, Weil

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(0)(4)

Paul Wuss

Somebody at Akin replied above, it will basically be Cravath, just match the class year to PQE. Also Paul Weiss doesn’t deserve a comma after capitulating to Trump.

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(2)(2)

Anonymous

TS anyone?

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(3)(0)

Linked Laters

Approx. £220,000 base + £120,000 bonus. PE team

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(2)(9)

Anon

What PQE?

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(2)(2)

anon

Skadden?

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(1)(0)

Lifer

10-11pqe Addleshaws regions £90k

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(2)(0)

anon

big yikes

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(3)(0)

Regional observer

Oof

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(0)(0)

Considering a move!

Anyone know TLT Bristol?

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(1)(0)

Tai Yeh

Anyone in Guildford? (CRS, S&B, PMC)

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(1)(0)

Baffled.

Clyde & Co, London Property&Liability (ex BLM team)… £50k for an NQ. Just WOW.

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(1)(2)

Anono

I’m in the Clyde & Co London P&L team (not ex BLM, but the original bit). I got £85k as an NQ! That’s wild that the pay is so different

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(0)(0)

CMS anyone?

Curious to know whether there’s a lot of bunching or if that’s just gossip.

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(2)(0)

Anony

Any insurance practice bods in London? 8pqe and beyond

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(2)(0)

I live in a glass building

9PQE, 120k

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(0)(0)

Anonymous

IP boutique: ~170k 3rd year plus 10-15% bonus.

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(1)(0)

A&O junior

Base pay recently moved to pay bands with a minimum per PQE level, heard department plays a role but not sure what extent individual performance affects this (and at what PQE they start tweaking pay based on performance).

Minimum salary:
NQ 150
0.5 150
1 150
1.5 150
2 155
2.5 157.5
3 162.5
3.5 167.5
4 172.5
4.5 177.5
Senior associate 205
Counsel 235

Entry level partner on points worth around 600?

Am on the minimum for my PQE.

Standard bonus (95% busyness) is a black box.

Exceptional hours bonus (115%) varies across team but 1-5 for NQ/1PQ, 2.5-10 for 2PQ. Midlevels, depending on which exact subgrade, get 5-15/7.5-30/12.5-50. Senior and counsel 16.5-67.5. Junior associates in our busy and soso profitable transactional team gets around 70-80% of the max.

Keen to hear more from someone with more experience of the system, especially how much associate base pay can vary. More keep to jump to a US shop though.

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(3)(0)

Anon

Scotland – Associate (4 PQE) – £65k plus decent bonus on four day week. Fairly dreamy.

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(0)(0)

In-house

in-house, 4.5PQE, actively encouraged to only work between 9.00am-6pm at most, come into the office 1 day a week, only do work within my chosen specialism – £150k base, £25k bonus, excellent pension scheme and more leave than I’ve ever had. Constantly praised on performance, given all the autonomy, healthy legal budget for top-tier outside counsel, no recording of hours or billable hours targets. After 6 years in what was ultimately a toxic private practice team, often can’t quite believe how well moving in-house panned out.

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(7)(0)

City trainee

Thanks for the insight. Which industry are you working in?

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(0)(0)

Nosy Rosie

Any Fieldfisher insights? It markets itself as magic circle quality work without the MC hours. But what about the pay?

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(1)(0)

Anono

I’m in the Clyde & Co London P&L team (not ex BLM, but the original bit). I got £85k as an NQ! That’s wild that the pay is so different

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(0)(0)

Curious!

Any Eversheds insight?

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(0)(0)

anon

Simmons London?

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(0)(0)

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