£28,090 in London, £24,916 elsewhere The Law Society of England and Wales has recommended a 2.45% increase in the minimum salary for trainee solicitors, aligning the uplift with the current rate of inflation. From September 2025, the recommended minimum salary…
Financial results season gathers pace Magic Circle firm Linklaters has reported a bumper set of financial results for the year ended 30 April 2025, with both revenue and profit reaching record highs. Revenue hit £2.32 billion — an 11% increase…
Open thread So far, it’s shaping up to be another summer of salary boosts across the City — some relatively minor, others more substantial. As in previous years, Legal Cheek commenters have questioned what impact these pay rises have further…
20 months for fraud A high street paralegal has been jailed after using an erasable pen and her law firm’s power of attorney to steal more than £11,500 from vulnerable clients in residential care. Emma Charlotte Amey was working in…
Extra £5,000 Baker McKenzie is the latest City law firm to raise the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) associates, increasing pay by £5,000 to £145,000. The uplift, which took effect on 1 July, brings the firm’s London-based NQs in…
Delays, rats and outdated paper processes The County Court is falling short in delivering fair and timely justice and requires urgent reform, a new report by the Justice Committee warns this week. In a scathing assessment of the court’s performance,…
64% score with two rookies opting out of NQ process Withers has announced that 9 of its 14 trainee solicitors will be staying on as associates, resulting in a retention rate of 64%. Of the 12 final-seat trainees who applied…
The top legal affairs news stories from this morning and the weekend UK relocated Afghan family after they sought data breach disclosure via law firm [Financial Times] (£) Disabled people face harsh justice in ‘secret’ fast-track courts, report finds [The…
Hits Scottish capital next month This summer, future pupils and barristers are heading to the Edinburgh Fringe with an eight-person show centred on a Kafkaesque trial, featuring bizarre and absurd twists — including a defence restricted to speaking in rhyming…
Future rookie worries move could limit legal career In our latest Career Conundrum, an aspiring lawyer has landed a training contract with an in-house legal team — but she’s concerned it might limit her future career options. “I have a…