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 categoryNew study finds in-house teams are underprepared for cyber attacks as threats riseLaw firmsKate Peacock1 Jun 2026Starling launches new panel as 16 firms make the cutIn-HouseTheresa Hargreaves29 May 2026Ashurst and Perkins referrals surge as firms see benefits of pre-merger ‘dating’ phaseLaw firmsWill Lewallen15 May 2026‘They ripped the Band-Aid off’ – why Wachtell and other elite firms are tearing up partner payLaw firmsWill Lewallen19 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 2026Freshfields appoints M&A star as new US managing partnerLaw firmsWill Lewallen1 Jun 2026‘A defining moment’ – Winston Taylor targets $2bn as transatlantic merger goes liveLaw firmsEliza Winter1 Jun 2026Kirkland launches Tokyo office with three-lawyer hire from US rivalsLaw firmsTom Cox1 Jun 2026