You could argue City law firms have the assistants they deserve. What they certainly don’t have, as the market gears up for the annual blinking contest that passes for the traditional pay round, are grateful or loyal junior lawyers.

Having blinked first, the below-expectation 15% rises announced by Clifford Chance (CC) aren’t exactly winning hearts and minds, with a good proportion interpreting the move as an attempt to hold down the market with a modest pre-emptive strike.