Legal Cheek analysis 
Forget waiting until qualification to earn the big bucks. Legal Cheek’s latest Firms Most List shows that some of the UK’s leading law firms are now offering graduates starting salaries of up to £70,000.
As with newly qualified (NQ) salaries, US heavyweights continue to dominate the top of the pay table. Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Milbank and Sullivan & Cromwell lead the pack on £70,000, while Davis Polk, Fried Frank, Gibson Dunn and Simpson Thacher follow closely behind on £65,000.
It’s a shake-up from last year’s rankings, when Davis Polk shared the top spot and Kirkland was offering £60,000.
But the top UK firms aren’t far behind. Macfarlanes leads the homegrown contingent at £60,000, followed by Osborne Clarke on £57,000, while the Magic Circle firms are clustered around the £56,000 mark.
And the pay packets don’t stop growing there. Second-year trainee salaries have also hit record highs this year, with some firms now offering a whopping £75,000 – all before qualification.
Of course, not every trainee is pocketing £70k. Salaries vary considerably across the market, with some figures reflecting regional offices rather than London rates. It’s also worth considering the hours you might need to put in to earn these salaries, so be sure to check out the working hours data too.
So, who’s paying what? Here’s how first-year trainee salaries stack up across the country’s leading law firms.
How much are first-year trainees earning?
| Law firm |
First-year trainee pay |
| Kirkland & Ellis |
£70,000 |
| Latham & Watkins |
£70,000 |
| Milbank |
£70,000 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell |
£70,000 |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell |
£65,000 |
| Fried Frank |
£65,000 |
| Gibson Dunn |
£65,000 |
| Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
£65,000 |
| Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton |
£62,500 |
| King & Spalding |
£62,000 |
| Ropes & Gray |
£62,000 |
| White & Case |
£62,000 |
| Akin |
£60,000 |
| Ashurst Perkins Coie |
£60,000 |
| Debevoise & Plimpton |
£60,000 |
| Jones Day |
£60,000 |
| Macfarlanes |
£60,000 |
| Morrison Foerster |
£60,000 |
| Orrick |
£60,000 |
| Paul Hastings |
£60,000 |
| Paul, Weiss |
£60,000 |
| Sidley Austin |
£60,000 |
| Vinson & Elkins |
£60,000 |
| Weil Gotshal & Manges |
£60,000 |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher |
£60,000 |
| Morgan Lewis |
£57,500 |
| Osborne Clarke |
£57,000 |
| A&O Shearman |
£56,000 |
| Baker McKenzie |
£56,000 |
| Clifford Chance |
£56,000 |
| Freshfields |
£56,000 |
| Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer |
£56,000 |
| Hogan Lovells Cadwalader |
£56,000 |
| Linklaters |
£56,000 |
| Mayer Brown |
£56,000 |
| Norton Rose Fulbright |
£56,000 |
| Simmons & Simmons |
£56,000 |
| Slaughter and May |
£56,000 |
| Winston Taylor |
£56,000 |
| Cooley |
£55,000 |
| DLA Piper |
£55,000 |
| Dechert |
£55,000 |
| Goodwin |
£55,000 |
| Greenberg Traurig |
£55,000 |
| K&L Gates |
£55,000 |
| Katten |
£55,000 |
| Reed Smith |
£55,000 |
| Travers Smith |
£55,000 |
| Dentons |
£54,000 |
| Pinsent Masons |
£54,000 |
| BCLP |
£53,000 |
| Mishcon de Reya |
£52,500 |
| Addleshaw Goddard |
£52,000 |
| Charles Russell Speechlys |
£52,000 |
| Gowling WLG |
£52,000 |
| HFW |
£52,000 |
| Payne Hicks Beach |
£52,000 |
| Burges Salmon |
£51,500 |
| Fieldfisher |
£51,000 |
| Watson Farley & Williams |
£51,000 |
| Bird & Bird |
£50,000 |
| CMS |
£50,000 |
| Eversheds Sutherland |
£50,000 |
| Farrer & Co |
£50,000 |
| Fladgate |
£50,000 |
| Harbottle & Lewis |
£50,000 |
| Haynes Boone |
£50,000 |
| RPC |
£50,000 |
| Squire Patton Boggs |
£50,000 |
| Stephenson Harwood |
£50,000 |
| Trowers & Hamlins |
£50,000 |
| Wiggin |
£50,000 |
| Lewis Silkin |
£49,500 |
| Bristows |
£49,000 |
| Clyde & Co |
£48,500 |
| Forsters |
£48,500 |
| Penningtons Manches Cooper |
£48,000 |
| DAC Beachcroft |
£47,000 |
| Withers |
£47,000 |
| Mills & Reeve |
£46,800 |
| Russell-Cooke |
£46,000 |
| Shoosmiths |
£46,000 |
| TLT |
£45,500 |
| DWF |
£45,000 |
| Freeths |
£45,000 |
| Hill Dickinson |
£45,000 |
| Kennedys |
£45,000 |
| Womble Bond Dickinson |
£45,000 |
| Bates Wells |
£44,000 |
| Irwin Mitchell |
£44,000 |
| Kingsley Napley |
£44,000 |
| Lawrence Stephens |
£44,000 |
| Marriott Harrison |
£44,000 |
| Wedlake Bell |
£44,000 |
| Maples Teesdale |
£43,092 |
| Broadfield |
£42,000 |
| Winckworth Sherwood |
£42,000 |
| Foot Anstey |
£41,000 |
| Shakespeare Martineau |
£40,000 |
| Stevens & Bolton |
£40,000 |
| Bevan Brittan |
£38,000 |
| Accutrainee |
£37,500 |
| Michelmores |
£37,500 |
| Birketts |
£37,000 |
| Ashfords |
£36,500 |
| Cripps |
£36,000 |
| Leigh Day |
£36,000 |
| Weightmans |
£36,000 |
| Walker Morris |
£34,000 |
| Gateley (Reading & Guildford) |
£33,500 |
| Thomson Snell & Passmore |
£32,500 |
| Brabners |
£31,000 |
| Moore Barlow |
£30,000 |
| Express Solicitors |
£28,000 |
You can view all our salary data, including rates for second-year trainees and newly qualified lawyers, on Legal Cheek’s Firms Most List.
