Linklaters has matched the ‘Cravath’ scale and will pay its first year associates $180,000 in New York, equivalent to around £124,000.
Law firms’ 2018 trainee lawyer and NQ solicitor salaries
Cravath raised its salaries earlier this month, prompting a host of firms to follow suit, including the other magic circle firms based in New York, Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy and Freshfields.
However, London lawyers will not be paid as much as their New York peers. Linklaters newly qualified solicitors in the City receive somewhere in the region of £91,000, depending on their performance.
| PQE | London median salary + median bonus mid rating | London median salary + median bonus high rating | 2015 salary range (not including bonuses) |
| NQ | £81,000 | £91,000 | £68,500 |
| 1 | £90,000 | £101,000 | £74,000 |
| 2 | £100,000 | £119,000 | £83,250-£88,000 |
| 3 | £111,000 | £130,000 | £92,500-£98,500 |
In March, Linklaters announced a raft of changes to its salaries, bonuses and benefits in a bid to create a sustainable and attractive recruitment and retention model.
The changes includes extra holiday, added bonuses and one day a week working from home for all qualified lawyers.
