US Firms in the UK: Why It Matters Outside London

If you work at a firm in Birmingham, Leeds or Bristol, it is easy to treat the US firms in London as someone else's story. I think that is a mistake.

In June, figures showed 23 US based firms in the UK Top 50 by UK revenue, up from 19 a year earlier. Kirkland & Ellis (£914m) and Latham & Watkins (£811m) were both in the top six. It is not only the giants either. In September, Fisher Phillips, a US employment law firm, opened its first European office in London with 11 lawyers, hiring partners from Charles Russell Speechlys among others.

Pay travels

The most direct effect is pay. US firms in London set the top of the market. London firms respond to stay within sight of them. Then the national firms respond in the regions, because they are losing people to London. That is roughly what happened this summer, with DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland both raising regional NQ pay.

So a pay decision made in New York ends up in a Birmingham salary review a few months later. Second hand, but it gets there.

The pull on specialists

The bigger effect, from where I sit, is on specialists. A US firm opening in London with a focused team needs people who already know that area, and some of those people are in the regions. A 4 PQE in a niche area, sitting in a regional office, can end up on a London shortlist they never applied for.

Fisher Phillips is a good example. It is an employment firm, opening just as the Employment Rights Act changes kick in. Every employment team in the country is now competing for some of the same people as a US firm with a London office.

The other view

Plenty of regional lawyers would never take a London job, whatever the money. They have families, homes and lives where they are, and US firm hours are no secret. I would never push someone towards a move that does not fit their life.

Not every US firm in London is a good place to work either. Some have opened, grown fast and then cut back. A big number on an offer letter is worth less if the office is gone in three years.

If you run a regional firm

You cannot match £189,000, and I would not try. Compete on what you control. The quality of the work, a realistic route to partnership, hours people can live with, and clients your lawyers actually get to know. Then make sure the few people in your scarce areas are paid fairly against the market, because they are the ones getting the calls.

If you are a regional lawyer

If you work in an area US firms are building in London, you are probably worth more than your current salary suggests, whether you move or not. A conversation costs nothing and tells you where you stand.

If you want a read on how your area is moving and what it means for you or your team, when would you be free for a quick chat next week?

Sources

• Above the Law, the 2026 UK Top 50
• International Employment Lawyer, Fisher Phillips enters Europe with London office
• Legal Business, DLA Piper boosts NQ pay
• Legal Cheek, Eversheds Sutherland boosts NQ pay