Allen & Overy raised some eyebrows earlier in July when it decided that it would not be taking part in the latest iteration of the war for junior talent. The firm chose to hold its current newly qualified pay rate steady at £107,500—which, while hardly a figure to be sniffed at, is way behind the staggering amounts handed out by U.S. firms in London such as Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which upped its salary to £179,000 two weeks ago.
A&O’s decision puts it behind elite U.K. rival Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which upped its own rate to £125,000 earlier this year.
