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.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!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 Kumar Saini is a financial analyst and tax consultant specializing in US taxation, IRS guidelines, and banking services. With years of research in global finance, he helps readers simplify complex credit card rewards and financial laws.
