Clifford Chance has come out as the first U.K. firm to hand out a one-off bonus of up to $50,000 (�24,000) to U.S. associates, as the New York pay war gathers steam.

Craig Medwick, Clifford Chance’s regional managing partner for the Americas, told the firm’s New York-based associates Wednesday they would receive a special bonus ranging from $10,000 for first-years to $50,000 for senior associates.