Legacy Hale and Dorr associates are in line for a pay hike of up to $21,000 (£11,600) as Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr overhauls its pay structure following the landmark merger that created the firm.

The pay structure, which comes into effect from January 2005, follows on from a freeze in 2004, and sees all the firm’s US branches adopt the higher salary bands employed by the Wilmer Cutler & Pickering arm of the combined firm.