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HSF raises NQ associate salaries to £135k

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By Legal Cheek on

49

Boosts for trainees too


Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has increased salaries for its newly qualified (NQ) associates from £120,000 to £135,000, joining the growing list of City firms making similar moves.

The firm also confirmed a £6,000 increase in rookie salaries, with first year trainees earning £56,000 and second year trainees earning £61,000. The increases are effective from 1 September.

The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

The Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows HSF recruits around 65 trainees each year. The salary increase means the firm now matches Hogan Lovells, which raised its NQ rates to £135k last month.

Commenting on the firm’s salaries, Alison Brown, executive partner at HSF, said:

“We are investing in our people — including our trainees and associates across all levels of experience — in a way that ensures a balanced and competitive reward structure in a dynamic market. This approach keeps us in the leading pack of international law firms and supports sustainable growth: good for our people, our clients and our business.”

49 Comments

X

Kinda wanted them to Macs but I feel on balance HSF is probably one of the best firms when you take into account salary, work life balance, quality of work etc.

They would be not too hot not too cold if they were a porridge 😂

Reply Report comment
(58)(13)

relax

Macs is only an extra 5k. Works out an extra £100-200 per month post tax.

Reply Report comment
(17)(2)

Calculator

£100 a month? Where’d you get that figure from

Reply Report comment
(3)(9)

Have you heard of tax rates?

If you drop those figures into the MSE income tax calculator, which is pretty accurate, allowing for no salary deductions and no student loans…

£140K gets you £7166 a month. £135K gets you £6945 a month.

That’s a whopping difference a month of…£221.
So £1 more than the original comment suggested, but that’s it.

Yes, under U.K. tax rates, £5000 more in salary a year gets you £2652 post tax a year. Welcome to working life in the UK

Reply Report comment
(23)(3)

Some money mo’ tax

Same applies to a Scottish solicitor between £43-50k…

Be right if you’re going to be snappy

Such a patronising name for someone who thinks 221 is only 1 more than “100-200”.

Anon

Yup it is post tax.

Reply Report comment
(0)(0)

Ex-Herbies

Work-life balance at HSF is only marginally better than most MC firms (read: not good) – I wouldn’t list it as a significant perk.

HSF is an awkward middle child when it comes to comp and hours – most other HSF leavers I know either went elsewhere for a significant salary bump (but slightly worse hours) or a significant work-life balance improvement (but slightly worse salary).

Reply Report comment
(52)(4)

Opinion

Heyy everything has its pros and cons I’m just saying on balance, HSF is a good deal but if you’ve worked ofc you’ll have your own perspectives.

Reply Report comment
(8)(2)

X

I rather have a good a salary where work/life balance is not too terrible which HSF have.

Also like everything else, it’s practice, team, culture and market dependent.

Reply Report comment
(7)(3)

Rupert; US legend 🇺🇸 💵

Chicken feed…

I lol’d all the way to the bathroom!

Reply Report comment
(4)(12)

Bullingdon; a tastier variety of lawyer 🇬🇧

I bet you didn’t make it…

Again…

Eh, Poopert?

😜

Reply Report comment
(4)(0)

Lol

I know legal cheek writers are tired 😅😂😂

Reply Report comment
(42)(1)

Hopeful, doubtful

Any news from Travers?

Reply Report comment
(20)(6)

Interested spectator

What do you reckon Bakers will increase their NQ salary to?

Reply Report comment
(8)(8)

Anonymous

125k

Reply Report comment
(5)(1)

interested trainee

Wouldn’t it be in line with the recent SC increases and hogan Lovells?

Reply Report comment
(3)(3)

Anonymous

One would think so but their raises have been underwhelming lately. Low expectations.

Reply Report comment
(9)(0)

Disgruntled BM associate

With BM, you shouldn’t expect an increase more than 1-2k

anon

something between £125-135k probably

Reply Report comment
(3)(0)

S&M Associate

Not a big deal. I went into Coutts today (well it was NatWest actually as I didn’t quite meet the account threshold). I told them I had been expecting a raise to £150k in line with market movements of all my direct competitors but unfortunately I was being held at £125k to maximise the already market leading profits of my superiors, so wouldn’t meet the mortgage approval threshold for the small studio flat I wanted to buy in zone 2. The account manager told me, much to my delight, that when it comes to slaughters employees, we can also cash in our prestige points as sterling equivalent. I couldn’t believe my luck! So that’s one happy chappy who just got his 600k mortgage approved at 125k salary and 25k prestige uplift.

Reply Report comment
(189)(1)

Simon

Is this still funny? What you call prestige, I call:

Working on every single major UK deal, especially listed deals (rest of the magic circle can’t say this)

Multi-specialism means your job is more interesting, and you are not going to be cut in bad times

Less DE+I stuff

No shame about being intellectually elite, having attended Oxbridge is not something to be embarrassed about

Reply Report comment
(8)(136)

Regular pleb

“Less DE+I stuff”? Didn’t know that was a mark of prestige…

Reply Report comment
(89)(14)

Asking

Genuine question: when I look at vac scheme photos there’s often between 2 and 4 white men out of a cohort of 20. That’s 10-20%. Do you consider that fair?

Reply Report comment
(31)(40)

Anon

When I look at partners it’s about 2 and 4 ethnic minorities out of 100 white men, do you consider that fair?

anon

“less DE+I stuff” oh yes what a perk…

Reply Report comment
(56)(10)

realist

You do not have a job at Slaughters because, working there, you would know half of this isn’t true.

For the record, plenty of firms still have oxbridge cliques.

Reply Report comment
(27)(3)

Anonymous

I work in the post room at Slaughters but I get a good sense

Reply Report comment
(8)(1)

Just the bare stats

Found the Slaughters partner raking in £3m+ a year, but paying his associates less than HSF, where partners make a third of that.

Reply Report comment
(34)(3)

MC trainee that has a private bank

If you actually banked with a private bank, you’d know that the relationship you have with your allocated relationship manager (including, for example, where you work) could play a big role in the financing options they give you. If they know you work at a MC firm and are will be on 150k in 6 months, you will be able to obtain a better mortgage than you could ever get on the highstreets.

Reply Report comment
(5)(46)

Nothing gets past this guy (or girl)

Whoooooooosh

Reply Report comment
(58)(0)

Forlorn Slaughters Associate

It’s a pity you didn’t mention Slaughters’ multi-specialist approach as well, I managed to get an extra 3% off my mortgage rate thanks to that!

Reply Report comment
(36)(1)

Trainee CMS

My heart can’t take it anymore, CMS….

Reply Report comment
(12)(11)

Anonymous

Lucky to be where you are tbh.

Reply Report comment
(17)(0)

Lool

CMS are lucky they got the salary they have 🤣

Reply Report comment
(36)(0)

Volunteer CMS Associate

Wait, are they paying you guys?

Reply Report comment
(17)(0)

CMS trainee supervisor

Wind your neck in and finish my bundle

Reply Report comment
(19)(1)

Grapes on the vine

How’s that bunching up the scale though?

Reply Report comment
(7)(0)

Associate at proper big firm

The 15k increase is not much difference to DWF London trainee salary.

Reply Report comment
(6)(1)

Anon

Is it true the Skadden are stopping offering training contracts in the UK?

Reply Report comment
(6)(1)

R

Yes I’ve heard that too. They’ve disappeared from LC most list and some of their lawyers have gone to Paul Weiss. Scaling back in the UK to focus on US market.

Reply Report comment
(2)(2)

Curious

Hey where’d you hear that from?

Reply Report comment
(0)(0)

Hmm...

Opposite actually. Skadden looking to increase TC intake to Latham levels over the next 5 years in stages to build organic presence

Reply Report comment
(0)(0)

C

Peak

Reply Report comment
(0)(0)

Who’s next

Who’s rising next that’s non MC/US/SC?

Reply Report comment
(0)(0)

David

Brabners?

Reply Report comment
(0)(0)

Anon

CMS.

Reply Report comment
(0)(4)

DLA Further trainee

DLA?

Reply Report comment
(1)(0)

Anon

How long is your TC as a Further Trainee?

Reply Report comment
(11)(0)

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