Exclusive: Slaughter and May raises pay

Slaughter and May has failed to match Allen & Overy with its new pay rises, leaving staff "disillusioned".

The results of the firm's 2016 pay review were announced internally on Friday. Apparently across most bands the increases are "at best in line with inflation", around £2,000. That would put solicitors on less than peers at Freshfields and Linklaters (which is so far the only other MC firm to raise pay this year) and nowhere near the earnings of lawyers at A&O, which gave staff unexpectedly massive rises last summer.

Sources report that Slaughters associates are, as a result, "pretty disillusioned". One said, "we don't expect to keep up with US firms, but when a lawyer at the same PQE at another MC firm is earning £10k more than you when your firm has just made up 10 new partners, it starts to grate".

The day of his promotion he realised associates were actually ridiculously overpaid.

More details to follow in Friday's news.

Comments

Spare a thought for the support staff at the City firm where I work, whose minimal/non-existent pay rises are taken by the recent £7m refurbishment (though Associates' salaries continue to increase apace along with their PQE). Sucks to be "Head of" a support department/paid less than an NQ!

After 6 years of no pay rises, no bonuses and halved Christmas vouchers (£100) spare a thought for support staff at another top city law firm who were offered £200 & an invitation to drinks to celebrate how over the firm are doing!