Is it wise to talk about salary wars in London?

[Kola]

I have been really interested in the salary wars that have occurred in London. While there has been a ceasefire, with the US firms clearly coming out on top, is it wise to discuss such a situation in application questions regarding a change to the legal environment or is it considered a bit too 'sensitive'?

I submitted my Ashurst application yesterday, and wrote about the increased competition within the legal sector and citied salary wars for NQs as one of my examples to reinforce this point. Was this a wise thing to do? I'm getting a bit anxious as to whether it would be seen as inappropriate to mention given that many UK firms clearly haven't been able to compete.

 

[Ahi88]

I think it really depends on the context of your answer. What was the question asking you?

Your answer is fine but maybe think about why these these 'salary wars' exist. Ultimately, law firms are competing with each other to attract future talent and retain existing talent. Therefore, salary is only one factor of many that enables them to do this. However, focusing solely on salary wars perhaps is not the be-all and end-all since city firms may also compete in alternative ways beyond salary.

Other factors might include flexible working or the creation of new roles for lawyers (e.g. innovation roles) which can also be mentioned when you discuss salary wars. For example, law firms like RPC have recognised that not everyone has promotion to partner as the end goal of their career and took the initiative to move away from an all-equity partnership structure which helps offer their people alternative career destinations that reflect their seniority and value. Similarly, firms like DACB have introduced business-focused TC's that incorporate data analytics diplomas. Kennedys are another example as they have a new 30-month training contract allowing graduates to begin earning immediately under the SQE.