City law firm boosts junior lawyer salaries to £189k in London
City-based law firm Quinn Emanuel has increased salaries for its most junior lawyers by 5 per cent for the 2026 financial year, as its London office aligns with pay increases at its US counterparts.
Effective from 1 July 2026, London associates’ salaries will increase 5 per cent across the board, with newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers set to take home £189,000, previously £180,000.
Those with one year of post-qualified experience (PQE) will pass the 200-mark, as they are set to take home £205,000 (previously £195,000). The rest follow: £231,000 for two PQE; £273,000 for three PQE; £289,000 for four PQE; £305,000 for five PQE; £320,000 for six PQE; and between £331,000 and £373,000 for those with seven PQE and above.
Quinn Emanuel’s London senior partner Richard East said, “We maintain our own salary scale in this marketplace and pay people in pounds sterling, but our aim is to retain the top litigation talent in London. We have increased our salaries across the board to ensure that we remain at or above the top of the market.”
London lawyers outearn American peers
This move follows Quinn Emanuel, which is a US law firm, increasing its salary scales for its associates across the Pond yesterday.
In the US, the most junior lawyers in the class of 2026 will be at $225,000 (£166,957), meaning that, under the current exchange rate, London’s junior lawyers are out-earning their American peers.
This move comes as one of its closest competitors, London-based Mishcon de Reya, was revealed by CityAM to be offering its staff a ‘bonus boost’ for working additional hours to remain competitive.
The ‘salary war’ has been dominating the high end of the legal market for some years, as law firms try to remain competitive on price to attract the best talent after US law firms opened up to high salaries.
Ria Karnik, managing director at Major Lindsey & Africa, stated: “Now that Quinn has defined how the pay increases will impact their London associates, I wouldn’t be surprised to see other members of the £180k NQ club follow suit.”
“This move will also up the ante on the Magic Circle. Eyes will begin to fall on the increasingly glaring pay discrepancy at this level, which sits around £40k. If this does prompt a fresh NQ pay war, we could expect movement across the whole market,” she added.