Exclusive: Six-figure first
Simmons & Simmons has pushed newly qualified (NQ) lawyer pay in Bristol to £104,000, up from £96,000, setting a new record for the city’s NQ market and extending its lead over local rivals. London juniors are getting a boost too, with salaries rising from £120,000 to £130,000.
The latest Bristol bump follows an eye-catching move last year, when Simmons propelled NQ pay in the city from £76,500 to £96,000, a hefty 25.5% increase that set a new regional record at the time.
As it stands, Simmons has opened up a sizeable lead in Bristol, with its £104,000 NQ rate ahead of Osborne Clarke’s £76,000, Burges Salmon’s £76,000 and RPC’s £60,000.
Over in London, Simmons’ NQs have also been handed more cash, with salaries rising from £120,000 to £130,000. The uplift sees the firm draw level with Travers Smith and nudge ahead of BCLP and Winston Taylor on £125,000, leaving CMS, Eversheds Sutherland and K&L Gates on £120,000 a little further behind. Katten and Reed Smith remain a touch higher on £135,000.
Simmons’ trainees are also getting a pay boost, with first year salaries in Bristol rising from £50,000 to £52,000 and second year rates from £54,000 to £56,000. In London, first years will now receive £56,000, up from £54,000, while second years move from £59,000 to £61,000.
With firms spending the summer rolling out pay rises, there could be a few more movements in the salary tables in the coming weeks. You can view all the latest NQ rates over on our Firms Most List.
Lmao what a total schlonging
Completely dollarmogged. Comical stuff.
One can only assume every lawyer in Bristol is keeping an eye open for any vacancies at Simmons.
“But the work life balance will be so much worse!” – yeah, yeah. If a competitor is offering over £30k more money than your current firm, it’s going to have your attention.
Sweeeeeet
This article doesn’t mention the bonus scheme – it’s a crazy package in all, but until recently it didn’t necessary generate quite the influx of quality CVs that was anticipated in Bristol.
As a recent departure with no axe to grind at all, the offer they have in Bristol is fantastic for young, mobile lawyers looking for a way into City / International work. But it’s also Faustian.
Expectations of City-like sacrifices are openly stated and lawyers with families are frequently told they may want to consider getting a nanny.
I’ve worked in both the Bristol and London offices, and the thing that stands out is that the work genuinely is the same. That isn’t the case at other Bristol firms I’ve been at, where the regional office tends to pick up the lower-value (and in my practice area, far less interesting) work London doesn’t want to spend time on. That parity is unusual and, I’d argue, the main selling point.
On “Faustian”, I’d frame it as a trade-off that’s openly priced in rather than a hidden cost. City-level work and a six-figure salary with strong bonuses aren’t compatible with a consistent early finish. In my experience, the hours are are generally (not always) longer than at comparable Bristol firms because the work and the pay are London’s. The bargain is transparent, and people can decide whether it suits them.
The nanny comment isn’t one I ever heard, but the underlying point applies to any couple/single parent working full-time with young children and no family nearby/willing to help. The difference at Simmons is that the salary actually makes that childcare more affordable.
City work, City pay, Bristol cost of living – something has to give, and here it’s the hours from time to time. That seems like a reasonable thing to know and expect going in, rather than a trap.
London pay is another story…
I don’t disagree with a lot of this, in particular the quality of the work, and I’ve recognised it is a great deal for people in certain circumstances.
All I will add is that the Bristol office attrition rate in a number of teams tells the story better than any of us can.
Are you sure no axe to grind?
Attrition in OC Bristol is totally off the charts.
Attrition is an issue for all law firms, and in my view the main driver is the growing disparity in pay, and perceived hour expectation, between firms
serious cash though, £100k+ is good money in a town like Bristol
Bristol is just as pricey as London.
The catch is that you have to live in Bristol
Damn, didn’t realise there were so many Bristol fans, sorry gang
Serious money for Bristol
LegalCheek should do a story covering the firms that have chosen to completely freeze their NQ salaries this year – that’s the actually interesting story ie. Osborne Clarke, CRS