US litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has rolled out a 5% across-the-board salary hike for its London associates, effective July 1, 2026.
The increase pushes starting pay for newly qualified (NQ) lawyers up to a staggering £189,000 (up from £180,000). Because Quinn Emanuel sets its London pay in sterling rather than using a strict US dollar conversion, its UK juniors are currently out-earning their Wall Street counterparts, whose $225,000 base equates to roughly £167,000.
The New London Scale (Effective July 2026)
The 5% bump scales up aggressively with seniority, putting mid-level and senior associates comfortably past the quarter-million mark:
| Experience Level | New Base Salary |
| Newly Qualified (NQ) | £189,000 |
| 1 PQE | £205,000 |
| 2 PQE | £231,000 |
| 3 PQE | £273,000 |
| 4 PQE | £289,000 |
| 5 PQE | £305,000 |
| 6 PQE | £320,000 |
| 7+ PQE | £331,000 to £373,000 |
The Takeaway: This move puts immense pressure on rival US firms in the City (like Milbank and Gibson Dunn) and further widens the massive compensation gulf between elite US firms and the UK’s traditional “Magic Circle,” where NQ salaries typically cap out around £125,000 to £150,000.
Suresh holds a Master of Commerce (M.Com) degree and is a dedicated personal finance researcher and writer. Combining his advanced academic background in commerce with deep industry research, he covers complex topics like taxation, banking systems, credit analysis, and personal finance strategies. As the founder of Tax Assistant (taxassistant.org), Suresh is committed to translating complicated financial guidelines and economic data into simple, accurate, and actionable educational resources for everyday readers.
