Ropes & Gray boosts London NQ pay to £170,000
updated on 16 March 2026
Dimitar Dimitrov is a content and engagement coordinator at LawCareers.Net
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Ropes & Gray International LLP has increased the salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) solicitors in London to £170,000, marking a rise of just over 3% from the previous £165,000 rate. The uplift, effective 1 January 2026, places the global law firm among the highest-paying firms in the City.
The new figure positions Ropes & Gray ahead of magic circle law firms, where NQ pay currently sits at approximately £150,000, and well above the levels offered by most UK-headquartered firms.
Trainee solicitors at the firm will also see boosts to their pay packets later this year. From 1 September, first‑year trainees will earn £62,000 – an increase from £60,000 – while second years will take home £67,000, up from £65,000.
London managing partner at Ropes & Gray, Rohan Massey, said: “Our commitment to attracting and retaining the brightest legal talent is reflected in this salary increase. We are proud of our training programme and the exceptional work our trainees and newly qualified solicitors deliver for our clients.”
Elsewhere in the market, US-headquartered Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP has pushed NQ pay higher, raising salaries in its London office to £180,000. The uplift represents an additional £10,000, or just under 6%, aligning Willkie’s juniors with those at fellow US heavyweights Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher UK LLP and Paul Weiss.
The announcement came just 24 hours after Ropes & Gray confirmed its own NQ uplift, signalling a strong start to 2026 in the ongoing competition for junior talent in London.
