White & Case has raised salaries by significant amounts, including £15,000 for newly-qualified lawyers.

Trainees were already on decent wages (£44,000 for first years), and their rises are the smallest. However NQs have been given a meaty 20% increase, taking them from £75,000 to £90,000. 1PQEs also received £15,000 pay rises, while 2PQEs are now officially loaded having crossed into six figures. So drinks all round, assuming the firm managed to raise all the salaries at the same time, unlike last year.

PQE 
 2015 (2014) 
 Trainee year 1  £44,000 (43,000)
 Trainee year 2  £48,000 (46,000)
 NQ  £90,000 (75,000)
 1PQE  £95,000 (80,000)
 2PQE  £101,000 (92,500)
 3PQE  £110,000 (105,000)

The hikes don't quite put White & Case in the company of truly high-paying US firms like Latham & Watkins (NQs on £101,000) and Akin Gump (muddling by on £100,000), but they do put clear water between the firm and its UK competitors, including the Magic Circle.

  "Who says I'm too young for this kind of money?"

A White & Case spokesman said the "significant" raises, which come a few months after the firm paid golden hellos of up to £40,000 to poach associates from other firms for its private equity practice, followed "discussions with partners, feedback from the Firm’s employee committee representatives and analysis of the market". He said the London office "is pivotal to the Firm’s global ambitions and continued success".
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Comments

Anonymous 12 June 15 00:48

Can we all say "thanks Uncle Bagshaw and Youle"? Direct result of the new PE team over there, I am sure,

Anonymous 15 June 15 12:18

Haha! After 20% pay rises for the next 10 years, we'll have NQ salaries of £500k. Take that, Magic Circle!