A broad spread of top US firms have jumped on the New York bandwagon to raise starting lawyer salaries to the newly-established benchmark of $160,000 (£81,000).

Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy have become the latest to follow suit, while Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom is also understood to have matched the rate.