Herbert Smith Freehills has confirmed that 31 of the 33 of its qualifying trainees will be staying on at the firm in NQ positions. Only two qualifiers did not apply for permanent positions with the firm, with all 31 of those who did apply eventually being offered contracts. The strong result matches the global firm’s retention rate for the spring round, when it managed to keep on 33 trainees in a total qualifying pool of 35. Last month, HSF was one of the first firms to announce a post-EU referendum salary sweetener for its junior lawyers, lifting its maximum total cash remuneration for NQ associates to £90,000 per year.

Source: Legal Week