A fresh pay war among the UK’s legal elite looks certain as it emerges that magic circle trio Clifford Chance (CC), Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are all set to post significant assistant salary rises in the coming weeks.
The City giants are all planning to hike their salaries, with CC expected to raise its bands by around 8% for the coming financial year. Such a rise would award newly-qualified solicitors in London a rise from £51,000 to £55,000 and put one-year-qualified assistants at more than £60,000.
