£180K straight out of a TC?! Welcome to the City law pay war

<p>The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible: <a href="https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://ukearlycareers.stblaw.com/</a></p><p><br></p><p>The battle for junior legal talent is pushing NQ salaries to new heights.</p><p><br></p><p>Legal Cheek writer Nadia Ismail sits down with Legal Cheek editor Tom Connelly to unpack the latest findings from the 2027 Firms Most List, looking at what newly qualified solicitors are earning across more than 110 of the UK’s leading law firms.</p><p><br></p><p>With average NQ pay now sitting at around £119,000, 50 firms increasing salaries since last year and 64 firms paying their London NQs at least six figures, what does the data tell us about the battle for junior legal talent? And with US firms continuing to dominate the very top of the table, how wide is the gap becoming across the market?</p><p><br></p><p>We discuss the firms leading the pay table, the rise of six-figure NQ salaries, the growing divide between US and UK firms, London versus regional pay, whether bigger salaries inevitably mean bigger expectations, and what continued investment in junior lawyers might tell us amid all the talk of AI and automation.</p>