National law firm Burges Salmon has increased the starting salaries of its newly qualified (NQ) lawyers in its Bristol head office by 15% to £60,000 – a figure it says puts it ahead of its rivals in the city for pay.
The increase is part of a review of its lawyers’ salaries, which takes effect this month. In June the firm also announced a 5% bonus for all its 800-plus employees. 
Burges Salmon said the new salary for its NQ lawyers, alongside its recently introduced hybrid-working model, put it in a strong position to attract prospective lawyers seeking to work at a UK firm, outside of London, that had a reputation for “complex and ground-breaking work, and with a distinctive culture”.
It also said the bonus rewarded its people for a positive performance during the 2020/21 financial year and recognised the” extraordinary efforts and commitment of its people in the face of Covid-19 challenges”.
Burges Salmon managing partner Roger Bull, pictured, said: “In carrying out this review, we have positioned ourselves at the top end of the market outside of London because we want to attract and retain the best people and offer a different approach to working where our lawyers can undertake quality work within a supported culture and thrive as an individual.” 
He said this was acutely demonstrated in June when the firm was awarded a Platinum ‘We invest in people’ accreditation by Investors in People for its policies and practices to support its people and enable them to flourish.
Platinum is the highest accreditation available, with only 2% of organisations gaining this level of recognition.
“The achievement is all the more significant following a year during which the business and every one of our people faced unprecedented challenges as a result of the global pandemic,” he added.
“It is of huge importance that our unique, collaborative culture has prevailed and strengthened through such testing times.”
“Our message is simple: ‘If you come to Burges Salmon, you will work at one of the best law firms outside of London, with the best remuneration and benefits package outside of the capital.”
