White & Case has revealed increased salaries for its lawyers in London, including for its trainees and newly-qualified (NQ) solicitors.
From January 2025, all lawyers in London can expect to see a pay rise, with some bands increasing by nearly 20 per cent. NQ solicitor pay will increase by 16.6 per cent from £150,000 to £175,000.
White & Case will also reach the top of the market for trainee solicitor pay with 10 per cent per year. First-year trainees will see a rise from £56,000 to £62,000 and second-years will go from £61,000 to £67,000.
In the context of recent pay increases for NQ solicitors across the City, the firm now pays in line with Sidley Austin who also increased its compensation to £175,000 in June this year.
Both firms are now within touching distance of the highest-payers in the market with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison and Quinn Emanuel all handing out £180,000.
White & Case hires around 50 new trainees each year and there remains the opportunity for a discretionary bonus on top of these new rises.
Further up the ladder, associates with two years of post-qualification experience (PQE) will receive a £200,000 base salary, up from £171,000. Lawyers between three and nine PQE will be subject to discretionary rises, although it is expected that those will also be competitive.
A spokesperson for the firm commented: “‘White & Case offers highly attractive careers to ambitious and talented lawyers. Our teams in London advise leading global clients on their most important, complex, cross-border deals and disputes and our people enjoy promotion opportunities and the benefits of the wide range of strong practices we have built in the City.
“Following discussions with partners, we are increasing legal salaries in London, including for trainees, underlining our position as the leading global law firm.”
Elsewhere in the market, NQ salaries among the UK-heritage City elite have just hit an all-time high with the magic vircle all paying £150,000.
