Quinn Emanuel has increased associate salaries in its London office by 5% across the board, with 2025 and 2026 NQs now set to be paid £189,000 from 1 July.
The uplift marks the second pay rise in five years for Quinn’s London arm, which sets its own compensation scale and has taken a more measured approach this cycle. By contrast, in June 2024 the firm increased NQ to 2PQE pay by 20%, and 3-6PQE pay by an average of 28%.
| Associate level | Old scale | New scale |
|---|---|---|
| NQ 2026 | £180,000 | £189,000 |
| NQ 2025 | £180,000 | £189,000 |
| NQ 2024 | £180,000 | £189,000 |
| NQ 2023 | £180,000 | £189,000 |
| 1 PQE | £195,000 | £205,000 |
| 2 PQE | £220,000 | £231,000 |
| 3 PQE | £260,000 | £273,000 |
| 4 PQE | £275,000 | £289,000 |
| 5 PQE | £290,000 | £305,000 |
| 6 PQE | £305,000 | £320,000 |
| 7 PQE and above (off scale) | £315,000–355,000 | £331,000–373,000 |
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.’
The move comes shortly after a fresh round of US associate pay rises, with Milbank increasing salaries by $10,000 for classes up to 2022, and by $20,000 for associates from the 2021 to 2018 cohorts, with McDermott Will & Schulte quickly matching the scale for its associates in the US and London. On the new scale, NQ and class of 2026 associates receive $235,000, or roughly £175,000 at current exchange rates.
The latest adjustment underscores the persistent divergence in associate pay between US and UK-headquartered firms. In 2024, Freshfields increased NQ pay to £150,000, with its magic circle peers quickly matching, No UK-headquartered firm has yet increased pay above this level.
‘This move will also up the ante on the Magic Circle,’ said Ria Karnik, EMEA associate practice group lead at Major, Lindsey & Africa. ‘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: ‘UK mid-level and senior associates taking on greater management, mentoring and business development responsibilities are beginning to question narrowing pay differentials, and a further NQ salary increase could result in a further exodus of mid-to-senior level associates from UK firms into US firms.’
