Extra 8%
Sullivan & Cromwell has raised trainee salaries in its London office, joining US rival Davis Polk at the top of the rookie pay table.
Legal Cheek can reveal the firm has increased first year rates to £65,000 while those a year ahead will earn £70,000. Trainees at the firm previously earned £60,000 and £65,000, with the increases representing an 8% rise.
The rises take effect on 1 January 2025.
The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2025 shows the boost brings Sullivan & Cromwell level with Davis Polk, which upped salaries to the same levels back in October of this year.
Working our way down the pay table, Paul Hastings offers second-year trainees a salary of £68,000, while White & Case provides £67,000 for trainees in the latter half of their contracts. Meanwhile, several other firms, including Akin, Gibson Dunn, Jones Day, Kirkland & Ellis, and Morrison Foerster, offer £65,000.
Sullivan & Cromwell recruits around eight UK trainees each year, with those staying on after qualification earning a hefty $225,000, roughly £177,000 based on the firm’s conversion rate.
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