Macfarlanes has cut its newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers' salary on a provisional basis by £5,000.

The firm is now handing out a base salary of £80,000 for its NQ lawyers on a provisional basis, pending a salary review in the autumn, according to two people at the firm. Individual and firmwide bonuses will be paid in addition to this as usual.

Last year, the firm boosted its NQ base salary to £85,000 from £80,000. Including bonuses, NQ lawyers could previously see their salaries rise up to £110,250 a year.