White & Case has set out its salary rises for 2021.
The increases take effect from 1 January next year, with newly qualified solicitors getting a £25,000 uplift in salary, from £105,000 to £130,000.
1PQEs get £27,500 more and will now be paid £137,500, while 2PQEs get a £30,000 boost to £150,000.
Beyond that, more senior lawyers are paid on a discretionary basis that the firm describes as “competitive”.
Trainee salaries, meanwhile, will be lifted by £2,000 for both first and second-years. They rise to £50,000 and £55,000 respectively.
The move takes White & Case closer to the top of the market in London, although even these significant boosts do not match rivals such as Kirkland & Ellis, which pays NQs £150,000.
White & Case was, once upon a time, the top-paying firm in London, handing £55,000 to its NQs way back in 2000.
| Qualification level | 2021 salary | Previous year |
| First-year trainee | £50,000 | £48,000 |
| Second-year trainee | £55,000 | £53,000 |
| NQ | £130,000 | £105,000 |
| 1PQE | £137,500 | £110,000 |
| 2PQE | £150,000 | £120,000 |
| 3 to 9+ PQE | Discretionary | Discretionary |
