Simmons breaks £100k mark for Bristol NQs, also lifts London pay

Simmons & Simmons has pushed newly qualified pay in Bristol above £100,000, extending its lead as the highest-paying major law firm in the city.

The firm has increased Bristol NQ salaries from £96,000 to £104,000, about an 8% rise and a new record for the Bristol market.

London NQs have also received a £10,000 increase, taking salaries from £120,000 to £130,000.

Bristol breaks £100k

The increase puts further distance between Simmons and its Bristol rivals, with the firm already leading the city's NQ pay market before the latest rise.

Burges Salmon pays £76,000, while CMS increased its Bristol NQ salary to £76,500 last year. Osborne Clarke pays £72,000 on qualification.

The £104,000 salary also means Simmons' Bristol NQs will now earn 80% of the salary paid to their London counterparts.

Bristol has recently been deemed England’s most unaffordable city to rent in, edging out London in terms of percent of salary spent on rent.

Bristol first-year trainees will now receive £52,000, rising to £56,000 in their second year.

City pay rises

The London increase comes amid another round of NQ salary rises across the City.

DLA Piper increased its London NQ salary from £130,000 to £140,000 in July, while Baker McKenzie has moved to £150,000. Norton Rose Fulbright also raised its NQ salary to £140,000 earlier this year.

At the top of the market, US firms continue to pay considerably more, with Quinn Emanuel increasing its London NQ salary to £189,000 in June.

Simmons’ London trainee salaries have also been increased. First-years will earn £56,000 and second-years £61,000.