Bigger bonus pool too

Addleshaw Goddard has opted to hold newly qualified (NQ) lawyer salaries at £100,000 this year, diverting extra funds into a £19 million bonus pool and boosting pay for more experienced associates.

The decision, which the firm said was taken “after careful consideration”, is aimed at addressing what managing partner Andrew Johnston described as salary “compression” — the shrinking gap between junior and senior pay caused by rapid NQ salary hikes across the sector.

“After careful consideration we have decided to hold our NQ rates this year. This allows us to unwind compression between NQ pay and that of more experienced lawyers,” Johnston told The Lawyer. “Whilst we recognise this is a different position to the one others are taking, we believe that we are doing what is right for our people and business, and aligning with the interests of our clients.”

The move redirects £1 million originally earmarked for a junior pay rise into the expanded bonus pool, which Johnston said would ensure “lawyers who have contributed significantly are meaningfully rewarded”.

He added: “We continue to incentivise contributions which deliver strong outcomes for our clients. In line with firm performance, our bonus pot has grown to £19m, which means lawyers who have contributed significantly are meaningfully rewarded.”

AG stressed that trainee development and retention remain priorities, pointing to its 88% retention rate which saw it offer roles to 50 of its 58 qualifying trainees.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows that AG’s £100k rate matches firms like Mishcon de Reya and is just behind Bird & Bird and Watson Farley & Williams (£102,000).

Addleshaws isn’t the first major law firm to tackle salary bunching. Shoosmiths recently acknowledged that its NQ salary increases had created “understandable concerns around pay compression” when it raised rates from £97,000 to £105,000.

‘Fair and transparent structure’

Shoosmiths has joined the summer salary surge, announcing a bump to £105k for its London newly-qualified solicitors (NQs). Meanwhile, the firm has also taken the opportunity to reflect on how NQ pay rises affect more senior lawyers’ pay.

The pay rise to £105,000 in London is up £8k from the previous £97k. This hike, around 8%, pushes Shoosmiths in line with Gowling WLG, which made the announcement last week. Also sitting at £105k are Pinsents and Stephenson Harwood, the Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows.

There’s also an increase for England-based NQs outside of London, who will see a more than 6% increase from £63,000 to £67,000. Shoosmiths says the uplifts will take effect from autumn 2025, and “ensures the firm remains highly competitive in attracting and retaining early-career talent in a fast-moving market”.

In an interesting move alongside announcing the hike, Shoosmiths added: “We know the recent rise in NQ salaries has had a knock-on effect at other levels, creating understandable concerns around pay compression.”

“These dynamics are being felt across the market,” Shoosmiths continued, “and we remain committed to providing competitive salaries at all levels across the firm” — whilst drawing attention to their bonus scheme, which this year has included entering prompts into Microsoft’s AI, Copilot.

This comes just days after Legal Cheek‘s open thread on post-NQ salaries. Amid a flurry of over 160 comments, readers revealed that lawyers at many firms are experiencing salary bunching, where pay increases given to NQs aren’t being matched for more senior lawyers.

Summer NQ salary rises so far

Firm	Location	NQ Salary (Before)	NQ Salary (After)	Increase
Mayer Brown	London	£135,000	£150,000	£15,000
Baker McKenzie	London	£140,000	£145,000	£5,000
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer	London	£135,000	£145,000	£10,000
Hogan Lovells	London	£135,000	£140,000	£5,000
Ashurst	London	£125,000	£140,000	£15,000
DLA Piper	London	£110,000	£130,000	£20,000
Travers Smith	London	£120,000	£130,000	£10,000
CMS	London	£110,000	£120,000	£10,000
CMS	Bristol	£70,000	£76,500	£6,500
CMS	Manchester / Sheffield / Liverpool	£62,000	£68,000	£6,000
CMS	Edinburgh / Aberdeen / Glasgow	£60,000	£68,000	£8,000
Shoosmiths	London	£97,000	£105,000	£8,000
Shoosmiths	Manchester	£63,000	£67,000	£4,000
Shoosmiths	Birmingham	£63,000	£67,000	£4,000
Shoosmiths	Leeds	£63,000	£67,000	£4,000
Shoosmiths	Reading	£63,000	£67,000	£4,000
Shoosmiths	Nottingham	£63,000	£67,000	£4,000
Gowling WLG	London	£98,000	£105,000	£7,000
Gowling WLG	Birmingham	£64,000	£65,500	£1,500
Gowling WLG	Leeds	£64,000	£65,500	£1,500
HFW	London	£100,000	£103,500	£3,500
Mishcon de Reya	London	£95,000	£100,000	£5,000
RPC	London	£80,000 – £90,000	£85,000 – £95,000	£5,000
RPC	Bristol	£56,000	£60,000	£4,000

Spill the (chambers) tea…

Last week, Legal Cheek launched an open thread exploring solicitor salaries after the training contract — aiming to shed light on an area often shrouded in secrecy.

Over 160 comments later, the thread has become a treasure trove of pay insights from some of the country’s top law firms. That said, a word of caution: the information isn’t verified, so make sure to do your own research too!

But with several baby barristers reaching out to us in response, it’s clear they’re feeling left out, and calling for a dedicated thread of their own.

One young barrister emailed us to say:

“I saw your recent open thread on NQ salaries and bunching. I think it’s a great idea as so many firms are opaque about earnings. Would you be able to create a similar thread for earnings for baby/”junior junior” barristers? Many chambers are also very opaque about the earning potential of their juniors. I would find it helpful to have some transparency for not just current barristers but also students looking at the bar.”

We’re happy to oblige. Whether it’s commercial, civil, family, criminal — or any other area for that matter — if you’ve got the inside scoop on barristers’ earnings at a particular set, share it in the comments below.

Exclusive: Extra £15k

The London office of international law firm Mayer Brown has increased the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) associates by 11%.

The uplift means fresh-faced juniors will now earn £150,000, up from £135,000 — bringing the Chicago-founded firm in line with the Magic Circle on NQ pay.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Mayer Brown takes on up to 14 trainees each year.

As well as matching the Magic Circle, the pay rise sees Mayer Brown overtake firms such as Baker McKenzie and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (both £145k), as well as Ashurst and Hogan Lovells (both £140k).

Summer NQ salary rises so far

Firm	Location	NQ Salary (Before)	NQ Salary (After)	Increase
Mayer Brown	London	£135,000	£150,000	£15,000
Baker McKenzie	London	£140,000	£145,000	£5,000
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer	London	£135,000	£145,000	£10,000
Hogan Lovells	London	£135,000	£140,000	£5,000
Ashurst	London	£125,000	£140,000	£15,000
DLA Piper	London	£110,000	£130,000	£20,000
Travers Smith	London	£120,000	£130,000	£10,000
CMS	London	£110,000	£120,000	£10,000
CMS	Bristol	£70,000	£76,500	£6,500
CMS	Manchester / Sheffield / Liverpool	£62,000	£68,000	£6,000
CMS	Edinburgh / Aberdeen / Glasgow	£60,000	£68,000	£8,000
Gowling WLG	London	£98,000	£105,000	£7,000
Gowling WLG	Birmingham	£64,000	£65,500	£1,500
Gowling WLG	Leeds	£64,000	£65,500	£1,500
HFW	London	£100,000	£103,500	£3,500
Mishcon de Reya	London	£95,000	£100,000	£5,000
RPC	London	£80,000 – £90,000	£85,000 – £95,000	£5,000
RPC	Bristol	£56,000	£60,000	£4,000

Rises for Bristol NQs and trainees too

City law firm RPC has confirmed a fresh round of pay rises for its junior lawyers, with uplifts across both its London and Bristol offices set to take effect from 1 September.

Newly qualified (NQ) solicitors in the firm’s London corporate & commercial and disputes teams will see their base salaries rise to £95,000, up from £90,000. NQs in the London insurance team will receive £85,000, a £5,000 increase on the previous £80,000 rate. Meanwhile, NQs based in the firm’s Bristol office will earn £60,000, marking a £4,000 boost.

Trainees are also benefiting from the firm’s latest round of salary reviews. In London, first-year trainees will now earn £48,000, up from £46,000, while second years will take home £52,000, up from £50,000.

RPC’s Bristol-based rookies will also see their pay bumped with first-year rates rising from £40,000 to £42,000, and second year pay moving from £42,000 to £44,000.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows RPC takes on around 14 trainees annually across its London and Bristol offices.

These uplifts come amid a wave of summer pay increases across the legal sector. Firms including Travers Smith, Mishcon de Reya, and Gowling WLG have all raised junior lawyer salaries in recent weeks.

£130k and £100k

Travers Smith and Mishcon de Reya are the latest major law firms to boost junior lawyer pay, as the summer salary surge continues.

Travers Smith has increased base pay for its newly qualified (NQ) solicitors from £120,000 to £130,000, bringing the firm in line with the likes of DLA Piper and just behind Mayer Brown and Norton Rose Fulbright (£135k). Travers said NQs will also have the potential to earn up to £20,000 as an additional bonus during the financial year.

From this month, trainee pay has also increased to £55,000 in the first year and £60,000 in the second year, up from £54,000 and £59,000 respectively.

Meanwhile, Mishcon de Reya has confirmed a £5,000 rise for its NQs, who will now earn £100,000 from September. The move puts Mishcon’s junior lawyers on par with those at Dentons and HFW, and just behind Bird & Bird and Watson Farley & Williams (both £102k).

And it’s not just the NQs cashing in — trainee solicitors at Mishcon have also received a bump. First-year trainees will now earn £50,000, up from £47,500, while second years take home £55,000, up from £52,500. The new rates came into effect this month.

Commenting on the uplifts, Vanessa Dewhurst, partner and chief people officer at Mishcon, said:

“Each year we review NQ and trainee salaries to ensure competitive rates for our newly qualified (NQ) and trainee lawyers. As part of this review, we have conducted a benchmarking exercise to ensure that our salaries remain attractive, fair and sustainable.”

She continued: “Our people are our greatest asset and we have considered extensively how to ensure we best reward all of our people. We do this through a mix of pay, bonuses and a generous range of benefits as well as the opportunity to work with some of the most interesting clients on some of the most complex legal matters. This ensures that Mishcon de Reya is an attractive destination for the brightest talent and rewards our people for the exceptional contribution they make to our firm.”

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Mishcon recruits around 30 trainees each year.

Mishcon and Travers now join a growing list of firms to boost junior lawyer pay this summer. Other recent uplifts include Ashurst (£140k) and Baker McKenzie (£145k).

Regional NQs now on £65.5k

Gowling WLG has increased pay for its newly qualified (NQ) solicitors, with London lawyers receiving a £7,000 boost to £105,000.

NQs in the firm’s Birmingham and Leeds offices are also seeing a pay rise — albeit a more modest one — with salaries moving from £64,000 to £65,500.

The uplifts bring Gowling’s London NQ pay in line with the likes of Pinsent Masons and BCLP, and ahead of outfits such as Bird & Bird and Watson Farley Williams (£102k).

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Gowling recurits around 25 trainees annually across its UK offices.

Roz Trimmer, HR director at Gowling, said: “We are pleased to have increased salaries for our new associates as part of our continuous drive to provide the very best possible experience for our clients.”

This latest move adds Gowling to the long list of firms boosting NQ pay over the summer. Recent raises include HFW (up to £103.5k), Bird & Bird (up to £102k), DLA Piper (up to £130k), with heavyweights like Ashurst now paying £140k, and HSF Kramer and Baker McKenzie both offering £145k.

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?

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).

Extra £5,000

Baker McKenzie is the latest City law firm to raise the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) associates, increasing pay by £5,000 to £145,000.

The uplift, which took effect on 1 July, brings the firm’s London-based NQs in line with their counterparts at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, which also boosted NQ pay earlier this month.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows trainee salaries remain unchanged at £56,000 in year one and £61,000 in year two. Bakers recruits around 40 trainees each year.

This is the latest in a string of summer salary hikes for NQs at firms including Eversheds Sutherland (up to £110k), Ashurst (up to £140k), DLA Piper (up to £130k), Bird & Bird (up to £102k) and HFW (up to £103.5k).

3.5% rise sees firm join summer salary scramble

International law firm HFW has announced an increase in salaries for its newly qualified (NQ) solicitors, effective immediately.

The shipping specialists confirmed rates for its most junior lawyers will move from £100,000 to £103,500, a nice little bump of 3.5%. The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows that HFW recruits 18 trainees across its UK offices each year.

The boost comes after City firm Bird & Bird moved its NQ rates from £98,000 to £102,000 on Monday and puts HFW’s pay figures back ahead of TwoBirds (just!).

HFW NQs will now also be out-earning their peers at other firms in the £100k club such as Dentons and Stephenson Harwood, falling just short of their counterparts at Pinsent Masons and BCLP (both on £105,000).

This is the latest of a whole host of summer salary hikes for NQs at HSF Kramer (up to £145k), Eversheds Sutherland (up to £110k), Ashurst (up to £140k), DLA Piper (up to £130k) and more — HFW’s latest move making it clear that the junior lawyer pay war is still very much on.

£10k hike

International law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has announced that it has increased the salaries of its newly qualified associates in London to £145,000 — up from £135,000.

The boost, effective from today (1 July), comes after City giant Herbert Smith Freehills and US law firm Kramer Levin merged to create HSF Kramer last month.

The £145k rate takes the newly-formed firm ahead of fellow City outfits Ashurst and Hogan Lovells — both of which raised NQ pay to £140k this summer — and approaches the £150k figure doled out to Magic Circle NQs.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows that HSF Kramer takes on around 60 trainees each year.

Commenting on the firm’s salaries, Jeremy Walden, executive partner, UK & EMEA, at HSF Kramer, said:

“We invest in our people at every stage of their careers through a balanced and competitive reward structure. As one of the leading global law firms in today’s fast-moving market, this is important for us to be able to strengthen the experience we deliver to our clients, to maintain our firm’s culture and to ensure the firm’s continued success and growth.”

This is the latest in a slew of NQ pay rises over the last few weeks, with firms like DLA Piper (£110,000 to £130,000) and CMS (£110,000 to £120,000) as well as Bird & Bird (£98,000 to £102,000), Eversheds Sutherland (£100,000 to £110,000) and Pinsent Masons (£97,000 to £105,000) all announcing summer boosts to their most junior lawyers’ salaries.

£110k and £105k

Eversheds Sutherland and Pinsent Masons are the latest law firms to dish out pay rises to their newly qualified associates.

Eversheds has upped salaries for its London-based NQs to £110,000 — a 10% rise from the current £100,000.

Meanwhile, Pinsents has increased its London NQ salaries from £97,000 to £105,000, representing an 8% rise.

Both increases take effect from September.

In the regions, Pinsents also confirmed NQ rates will move from £63,000 to £66,500.

The pay boosts follow recent rises at Ashurst (£125,000 to £140,000), DLA Piper (£110,000 to £130,000), and CMS (£110,000 to £120,000).

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Eversheds recruits around 50 trainees each year, while Pinsents takes on 60.

Extra cash for trainees too

Ashurst has become the latest City player to increase the salaries of its newly qualified associates with rates moving from £125,000 to £140,000. The is equates to an extra £15,000 or 12%.

The move brings the firm’s NQs level with their counterparts at Baker McKenzie, Hogan Lovells and Macfarlanes, and ahead of those at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (£135,000).

Trainee pay has increased to £57,000 in the first year and £62,000 in the second year, up from the previous rates of £52,000 and £57,000 respectively.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows Ashurst recruits around 40 trainees each year.

News of the pay hike came hot on the heels of DLA Piper’s announcement that it had raised NQ salaries by 18% to £130,000.

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.”

Rises in regions too

CMS has increased the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers in London to £120,000, with regional offices and those in Scotland also seeing salary rises.

Reaching the £120,000 mark represents an increase of just under 10% from the previous NQ salary of £110,000.

Elsewhere, newly qualified lawyers in the Bristol office will also receive an uplift of nearly 10%, rising from £70,000 to £76,500. Meanwhile, NQs in Manchester, Sheffield, and Liverpool will see their salaries increase from £62,000 to £68,000 — again, just under a 10% rise.

Meanwhile, NQs in the firm’s Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow offices are also to be paid £68,000, up from £60,000 — an uplift of 13%.

Trainee pay in London remains unchanged at £50,000 in the first year and £55,000 in the second year. Rookies salaries in the Bristol office also remain the same, £43,000 rising to £45,000 in year two.

However, trainees in other regional offices will see a pay rise. In Manchester, Sheffield, and Liverpool, first-year trainees will now earn £33,000, up from £31,500. Second-year trainees in these locations will receive £35,000.

In Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow, first-year trainees will now earn £33,000 — a £5,000 increase from the previous salary of £28,000. In their second year, salaries will rise to £35,000, up £4,000 from the previous figure.

These changes bring trainee and newly qualified (NQ) pay in Scotland in line with counterparts in Manchester, Sheffield, and Liverpool.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows that CMS takes on around 90 trainees each year across all its UK offices, with its London pay rise bringing it in line with Travers Smith and Simmons & Simmons.

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.

Performance-based extras give non-US firms a way to compete

Several UK law firms have recently revamped their bonus structures, aiming to retain the hardest-working juniors amid tough pay competition.

From this summer, City firm Simmons & Simmons will reward associates who record over 1,800 billable hours with mega bonuses of between 25 per cent and 40 per cent of their salary, according to an internal memo seen by the Financial Times (£). This updated scheme, which sets out the specific amounts up for grabs, replaces the previous “discretionary” bonus structure.

For Simmons’ most junior associates, on salaries of £120,000, these bonuses could range from £30,000 to £48,000. To receive the top end rewards, associates will have to record a whopping 2,100 chargeable hours.

The firm said this refreshed structure is “a central part of our efforts to develop and retain talent … supporting associates across the firm and rewarding them commensurately for their efforts is crucial.”

Simmons isn’t the only firm targeting their generosity towards the most profitable lawyers. Associates at national outfit RPC can now earn bonuses up to an extra 30 per cent of their salary, up from 20 per cent last year.

RPC associates hitting the firm’s target of 1,575 hours a year — at least 1,500 billable hours and up to 75 hours “investment time” — will receive a base-level bonus of five per cent, increasing by one per cent for every 25 additional billable hours recorded.

Managing partner Antony Sassi called this a “more modern, inclusive and sustainable approach to reward — and one we believe reflects the evolving expectations of the next generation of legal talent.”

These targets are for billable hours, meaning time charged to the firm’s clients. Billable hours don’t include time spent in internal meetings, pitching for work, delivering client seminars and other non-chargeable tasks. Billing 2,000 hours a year can often mean working frequent 12-hour (or longer!) days.

Addressing concerns around junior lawyer burnout, Shoosmiths have capped their bonus rewards at 1,900 hours, not wanting to encourage “anyone to work excessive hours chasing a bonus with no cap.” Shoosmiths’ bonus scheme offers up to 19 per cent of salary for associates billing over 1,485 hours.

Meanwhile, Magic Circle player Linklaters is shifting their bonus system away from a focus on billable hours, according to RollOnFriday. From the next financial year, bonus rewards focus more on rewarding associates who excel at generating revenue, cross-selling and those participating enthusiastically in department initiatives

Earlier this year, The Times (£) reported that A&O Shearman used bonuses to encourage office attendance among juniors, threatening to withhold performance related pay from associates who flouted the firm’s three-day-a-week policy and continued to work remotely.

Womble Bond Dickinson associate discusses monthly budget

A young lawyer has taken to TikTok to discuss her monthly budget and how she spends her hard-earned cash.

Mia Siddique, a junior associate at Womble Bond Dickinson, qualified into the firm’s Southampton office in September 2023. While not revealing the numbers on her paycheque — and careful to distance herself from top junior salaries in the capital: “I don’t work out of London so no, I’m not on hundreds of thousands of pounds” — Siddique has provided a breakdown of her monthly outgoings, increasing transparency around legal salaries.

@legallypossible Having struggled my entire life through balancing multiple jobs whilst studying, growing up in a council house and living paycheck to paycheck, it’s a huge privilege to be able to do these videos and finally be in a position of financial stability. I don’t take it for granted and I share these videos for others who are interested, who want to learn how to budget better or who want to see that it’s possible to earn a comfortable salary no matter your background. This is after all deductions eg pension, taxes, employee benefits etc! #lawyer #solicitor #socialmobility #anythingispossible #budget #budgeting #lawyersalary #budgetwithme #payday #finance #savings ♬ original sound – mia | lawyer

Having purchased her first home recently, Siddique sets aside £1,400 each month for mortgage repayment and household bills, while £250 goes on personal bills, including her phone bill and car insurance, and she normally allots around £220 a month for food shopping.

The junior lawyer revealed that she spends £130 each month on beauty products and treatments, telling her followers: “Getting your nails done, getting your lashes done and buying nice skincare is such a privilege. I am very grateful and do acknowledge that.”

She aims to spend £150 a month on travel, living a 3 hour commute from the office, where she works “once or twice a week”. £350 goes on birthday presents for friends and family and £200 towards furniture and home decor.

This month she is spending £100 paying off a previous holiday and while she had planned spend no more than £200 eating out, she has already overspent on this: “I always find myself, as soon as I get paid, going absolutely crazy!”

Any money she doesn’t spend this month, will go into her savings.

In the video’s caption, Siddique reflects on her financial backstory:

“Having struggled my entire life through balancing multiple jobs whilst studying, growing up in a council house and living paycheque to paycheque, it’s a huge privilege to be able to do these videos and finally be in a position of financial stability.”

Viewers in the comments compared Siddique’s monthly spend to their own financial situations. One user commented: “Girl, I pay £1,550 for rent in London and bills are added on”; another added “£2,700 a month on our mortgage alone in Essex… silly prices here!”. Others praised her openness about money, “Love the transparency!!!”.

An envious fellow lawyer joked, “This is a great salary. My lawyer salary in north of England doesn’t cut it ” while others left messages of support: “I am so happy that you got that finanical freedom, you worked so hard for it I remember watching you right from the start! Keep shining Mia! ”

Top lawyers’ hourly rates closing in on £2,000, new report shows

New research has revealed that some partners at the world’s top law firms are being charged out to their clients at nearly £2,000 per hour. Associates in the highest-value practice areas aren’t far behind.

According to the findings from LexisNexis, top partners can charge clients over $2,300 (over £1,700) per hour, with average partner hourly rate in the largest firms increasing by 7.5% from 2024. This increase was even steeper for associate rates — which jumped by 11% on average at the largest firms — with some firms now charging clients $2,000 (almost £1,500) for each hour of their top senior associates’ time.

To be clear, this is not what lawyers take home but what their clients are charged per hour for their time. The cut solicitors receive is lower. Nevertheless, partners are extremely well-remunerated, with profit-per-equity partner (PEP) topping out at over £6 million at Kirkland & Ellis, according to Legal Cheek’s Most List. PEP in the Magic Circle is led by A&O Shearman, at over £2 million. Associates, meanwhile, start on salaries as high as £180,000 at firms like Davis Polk & Wardwell, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, and Paul Weiss.

The data comes from the LexisNexis 2025 CounselLink Trends Report, which tracks legal spending across more than 1.8 million matters and $67 billion (£50 billion) in billings. The eye-watering hourly rates vary across practice areas, with M&A, regulatory and finance matters leading the way.

The report, which largely draws on US firms, confirms that legal fees in high-value practices continue to soar, with large law firms now controlling almost half of all legal spend in the US market. Hourly rates have increased approximately 5% each year since 2022, with partners at large firms (over 750 lawyers) billing a median rate of $1,050 (£784) per hour. Practice areas racking up the lowest (still high!) fees include real estate, employment, environmental matters, litigation and insurance.

This research has come as law firms are beginning to announce financials. Latham & Watkins, Reed Smith, and Kirkland recently announced their results. Kirkland’s 2024 revenues soared to almost £7 billion, while Reed Smith and Latham also enjoyed healthy growth.

Rises up the ladder too

US outfit Debevoise & Plimpton has increased its newly qualified (NQ) lawyer salary for London recruits to £173,100

This marks a 3% increase from the previous salary of £168,000, while trainee pay remains at £55,000 for first-year rookies and £60,000 for second-years.

Further up the ladder, those with one year of post-qualification experience (PQE) will earn £173,100, while those with two and three years of PQE will earn £180,800 and £200,000, respectively.

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows that Debevoise takes on around 10 trainees each year, with the firm’s most recent retention rate clocking in at an impressive 100%.

The new NQ pay bumps the firm up the rankings of top-paying law firms. It leapfrogs Davis Polk & Wardwell and Weil Gotshal & Manges (£170,000), Milbank (£170,455), Fried Frank (£173,000), Morgan Lewis (£173,000), and Vinson & Elkins (£173,077).

The uplift follows a bumper 2024 for junior lawyer salaries, during which the average NQ pay rose by 7.5%, with some increases reaching as high as 20%. The top payers remain Gibson Dunn and Paul Weiss, offering an eye-watering £180,000 (excluding bonuses).