Law firms

Shades of 2007: Freshfields sends NQ salaries soaring above £100k to head off talent threat from US rivals

standing on coins

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is fighting the war for talent by becoming the first Magic Circle firm to raise its pay for newly-qualified (NQ) solicitors to £100,000.

The £15,000 salary uptick is symbolic, given the pressures imposed on the City elite by US competitors in recent years. There will also be a discretionary bonus on top of the new NQ salary.

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