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 categoryAshurst promotes 18 in final round pre-merger, with Addleshaws, Osborne Clarke, Clydes also announcingLaw firmsTom Cox22 Apr 2026How CMS M&A partner David Roberts became the restaurant expert on both sides of the tableLaw firmsKate Peacock20 Apr 2026Revolving Doors: Weil hires Kirkland secondaries partner as Orrick targets Cadwalader againLaw firmsKate Peacock14 Apr 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 2026Sullivan & Cromwell apologises after AI hallucinations included in court motionLaw firmsTom Cox22 Apr 2026Revolving Doors: Mayer Brown hires Kirkland lev fin partner as Garrigues and Cuatrecasas make moves in ChileLaw firmsWill Lewallen22 Apr 2026Competition for talent heats up as Wachtell restructuring head lands at KirklandLaw firmsTom Cox21 Apr 2026