Law firms Trio of international firms hike salaries for newly-qualified lawyers Tom Cox · 16 June 2025 · 1 min read Pay Ashurst CMS DLA Piper Ashurst, CMS and DLA Piper have all hiked pay for newly qualified (NQ) lawyers as the battle for junior talent continues to rage.Ashurst has increased its NQ salary to £140,000, with DLA bumping rates up to £130,000 and CMS to £120,000.Your limit of 1 article in 30 days is up. Please login for full access or subscribe. Corporate users - click here for simple access (no password needed). For more information, please contact [email protected] Related ContentMore in this categoryRevolving Doors: US firms lead hiring as White & Case, Cleary, McDermott build across EuropeLaw firmsEliza Winter8 May 2026DLA Piper promotes more than 60 partners as firm shifts to single leadership structureLaw firmsTheresa Hargreaves6 May 2026Latham, A&O Shearman and WBD take honours at Legal 500 UK ESG AwardsLaw firmsKate Peacock1 May 2026‘We needed more flexibility’ – Georgia Dawson on reshaping Freshfields for the futureLaw firmsGeorgina Stanley19 Mar 2026White & Case revamps partner assessment as pay decisions loomLaw firmsKate Peacock18 Mar 2026Addleshaws partners approve plan to extend top of pay ladder to £3mLaw firmsAlex Ryan17 Mar 2026‘The centre of gravity for Southeast Asia’ – why PE investment is making Singapore increasingly attractiveLaw firmsKate Peacock8 May 2026‘This is a wake-up call’ – what the insider trading scandal means for elite law firmsLaw firmsEliza Winter8 May 2026Sidley sees exit of four-partner private equity team across NY and LondonLaw firmsWill Lewallen8 May 2026