The latest round of Biglaw associate salary increases has been unusually quiet this summer, with only a handful of firms matching Milbank’s elevated scale. Ice Miller has now joined the fray but with conditions – it is only for its New York associates, and the higher paychecks won’t arrive until next year. The firm announced […]
The merger of US-based Winston & Strawn with Taylor Wessing’s UK-led business is set to test demand for intellectual property counsel capable of straddling the geographic divide. But unlike most transatlantic partnerships, IP was not just another practice area in need of integration — it was a “key driver” of the decision to join forces, two Winston
Intellectual property emerges as Big Law’s newest consolidation catalyst Read More »
Freshfields’ US growth ambitions has forced out equity partners across London, Paris and Germany, the Financial Times reported on 13 July, weeks after a pay overhaul left dozens of its roughly 500 partners holding fewer equity points.
Freshfields reset its internal exchange rate from $1.60 to the pound down to about $1.30, then handed extra points to its top US earners so their dollar pay held. Points are a share of a fixed pool and Freshfields’ European partners are the pool.
The Financial Times reported this week that Freshfields has culled equity partners in recent weeks, with its London headquarters and its Paris and German offices all seeing exits and equity downgrades.
City AM ran it as a shake-up to fund the American push, which it is. What neither write-up reached is the ledger entry that explains it, and that ledger entry has been sitting in public since March.
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Freshfields Cut Its European Partners. Its New York Partners Got A Raise. Read More »
Australia is on the cusp of producing its first A$10 million‑a‑year law firm partner – and the smart money says that partner will sit at Corrs Chambers Westgarth or Gilbert + Tobin, according to a legal journalist who should know.
Veteran legal affairs journalist Michael Pelly made the claim in his Capital Brief’s Prima Facie newsletter, reporting that Australian legal partner earnings at the very top of the market have accelerated sharply since the pandemic, driven by fierce competition for rainmakers and a sustained boom in high‑value corporate work.
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Australia’s First $10 Million Law Partner? The Race Is On Read More »
NQ Salaries Hit £150k in Latest Pay War Salvo Norma Harris The London salary wars continue with Macfarlanes bumping its newly qualified (NQ) base pay from £140,000 to £150,000. Effective 1 July, the £10k increase officially aligns the firm with the UK Magic Circle’s current baseline, cementing its status among the top tier of native
Macfarlanes Leapfrogs Transatlantic Rivals with Latest Salary Bump Read More »
Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor An AI-only law firm, Garfield, has just notched up what is being billed as the first courtroom win by an “AI lawyer” against human opposition in England in a story made for law marketing, legal tech and AI-watchers. An AI-only law firm that once made headlines for sending “polite chaser”
The London legal market just got another massive jolt as US mega-firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett muscles further into City territory.
Simpson Thacher, a private equity titan, the elite New York-headquartered firm has officially launched its first-ever formal UK training contract, which they are backing it up with serious Wall Street cash showing – once again – how the big money US firms are reshaping the London legal scene.
London Law’s Senior Associate Problem No One Wants to Talk About Fresh from Quinn Emanuel joining the fray in London, as we reported last week, the latest 5% across-the-board hike has pushed newly qualified lawyers to £189,000 from 1 July, with the scale running up to £373,000 for the most experienced associates. That puts QE
The deal firms have not yet decided what to tell the market in the Pay War KEY TAKEAWAY: Six firms have matched Milbank’s 2 June 2026 scale of $235K–$455K. Every one — McDermott Will & Schulte, Hueston Hennigan, Quinn Emanuel, Katten, Texas litigation boutique Vartabedian Katz Hester Haynes, and Dunn Isaacson Rhee on bonuses —
Litigation Won The First Round Of The 2026 Pay War Read More »
Hot on the heels of Milbank breaking the long freeze and kicking off the 2026 pay war stateside, London litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel has cranked up its associate pay by 5% across the board. Effective 1 July 2026, newly qualified lawyers in the firm’s City office will now take home £189,000 (up from £180k), with
Quinn Emanuel Joins the Fray: London Juniors Now Pocket £189k as the Pay Wars Heat Up Read More »
