Pinsent Masons has hiked salaries for newly qualified (NQ) London lawyers by almost 5%, to £68,000.

The increase, from last year's figure of £65,000, comes alongside pay rises across Pinsents' other UK offices.

In Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, NQ pay is being increased to £42,000 from £40,000, while in Scotland and Northern Ireland, NQ salaries are rising by £1,000 to £39,000 and £28,000 respectively.

Trainee lawyer salaries are also going up, with first-year London trainees to receive £40,000 and second-year trainees £43,000, up from the equivalent figures of £38,000 and £41,000 last year.

First-year trainee pay in the firm's other English offices has been held at £26,500, while pay for second-years is rising to £29,750 from £28,500.

In Belfast, first-year salaries are increasing from £13,500 to £15,500, while second-year trainee salaries are rising to £16,500 from £15,000.

In Scotland, trainee salaries are unchanged, with first-year trainees on £22,000 and second year-trainees on £24,500.

Elsewhere, Watson Farley & Williams has increased pay for NQs to £70,000, up 3% from £68,000. First-year trainee pay at the firm will increase £1,000 to £43,000, while second-year trainee pay will remain at last year's rate of £46,000.