Milbank/Davis Polk/Cravath Scale: NYC to 215-415k Forum

[Anonymous User]

Skadden just announced that it wants its associates to fill out the Vault survey before Feb 18.

Skadden associates just want the lobster, and should hold off doing any surveys until lobster is secured.

[Anonymous User]

Skadden just announced that it wants its associates to fill out the Vault survey before Feb 18.

Skadden associates just want the lobster, and should hold off doing any surveys until lobster is secured.

Time to start dropping my ranking of DPW by one spot for every day that they remain silent with regard to lobster

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know why SullCom doesn't take the lead? Among big firms, they have had the top revenue per lawyer for almost two decades in a row.

I think they simply don’t care. Also, their management committee partners are super conservative and prb think associates are already getting paid more than enough.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know why SullCom doesn't take the lead? Among big firms, they have had the top revenue per lawyer for almost two decades in a row.

Some firms have swag, others do not. Simple as.

[randomthrowaway]

Someone should leak a fake match DPW memo to ATL and then DPW will be forced to acknowledge it. But it would look bad for them to refute the memo without officially announcing a match, so they will be forced to go over the top and shatter the market with spring bonuses plus lobster for everyone.

[Anonymous User]

I'm sorry but I just think this is insane. I can't recall a time there's ever been this large of a gap between "trueing up" as far as compensation. Something crazy has to be going on inside DPW.

[Anonymous User]

I'm sorry but I just think this is insane. I can't recall a time there's ever been this large of a gap between "trueing up" as far as compensation. Something crazy has to be going on inside DPW.

We accept your apology. Sincerely, firm management.

[Anonymous User]

Someone should leak a fake match DPW memo to ATL and then DPW will be forced to acknowledge it. But it would look bad for them to refute the memo without officially announcing a match, so they will be forced to go over the top and shatter the market with spring bonuses plus lobster for everyone.

We recruit our friends to start leaving taunting voicemails for partners at our peer firms (no way of tracing things back to us).

That'll do it.

[Anonymous User]

The last three weeks have only cemented what a gigachad firm DPW is. I'm rating them a 10 in my Vault survey, get bent CSM.

[Anonymous User]

This is just ridiculous at this point.

Everyone knows the firms will need to match or exceed. There is no universe where Cadwalader pays more than Cravath or Davis Polk - every day that passes is just embarrassing for the "top" firms.

[Anonymous User]

This is just ridiculous at this point.

Everyone knows the firms will need to match or exceed. There is no universe where Cadwalader pays more than Cravath or Davis Polk - every day that passes is just embarrassing for the "top" firms.

Cadwalader does pay more to high billers than Cravath or Davis Polk and has for several years

[Anonymous User]

This is just ridiculous at this point.

Everyone knows the firms will need to match or exceed. There is no universe where Cadwalader pays more than Cravath or Davis Polk - every day that passes is just embarrassing for the "top" firms.

Cadwalader does pay more to high billers than Cravath or Davis Polk and has for several years

Yeah, can confirm this is true for folks over 2200.

[Anonymous User]

-

[Anonymous User]

-

[Anonymous User]

This is just ridiculous at this point.

Everyone knows the firms will need to match or exceed. There is no universe where Cadwalader pays more than Cravath or Davis Polk - every day that passes is just embarrassing for the "top" firms.

Cadwalader does pay more to high billers than Cravath or Davis Polk and has for several years

Yeah, can confirm this is true for folks over 2200.

Obviously. This is well known and is the case for most firms outside your traditional NY lockstep firm. You can almost certainly make more $$$ at your average V50 than at DPW, SullCrom, Cravath, Cleary, Debevoise, Paul Weiss, etc. for the same or even less hours.

People will always go to the NY elites over the others for the added benefits (of which there are many) of having "Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP" as the first line of your resume vs. "Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP", and they are willing to forgo extra comp in exchange for the prestige factor. I'm not at any of the aforementioned firms so I don't have a dog in this fight, just calling it like I see it.

[Anonymous User]

Put me in the camp of people should stop whining about the delay in matching. If you've been following the salary raises for the last several years, we all know the matches are coming eventually. Every day that passes just makes it more likely that it's a re-raise instead of just a match. If you're at a V10 that hasn't matched yet (are there any that have?), you know you're going to get trued up when the market is eventually set. There's no world where a milbank associate or a cadawhatever associate is paid more in base than a DPW associate by the end of the year. Just chill out and be pleasantly surprised when the re-raise or special bonuses come out.

[Anonymous User]

Put me in the camp of people should stop whining about the delay in matching. If you've been following the salary raises for the last several years, we all know the matches are coming eventually. Every day that passes just makes it more likely that it's a re-raise instead of just a match. If you're at a V10 that hasn't matched yet (are there any that have?), you know you're going to get trued up when the market is eventually set. There's no world where a milbank associate or a cadawhatever associate is paid more in base than a DPW associate by the end of the year. Just chill out and be pleasantly surprised when the re-raise or special bonuses come out.

People are complaining that their firm hasn't announced knowing that the firm eventually will. And you're here complaining about their complaining knowing that even after your novel take, they will continue to complain.

[bigboybob]

its really not a question of whether or not they will match... it is whether firms will be cheap and true us up? If a firm does match but makes no mention of truing up... that's not great.

[Anonymous User]

its really not a question of whether or not they will match... it is whether firms will be cheap and true us up? If a firm does match but makes no mention of truing up... that's not great.

Yep. I could also see some cheap firms trying to call the true-up a "bonus" that is hours-based.

The complaining in this thread really isn't that hard to understand - we want more money and we want it now!

[Anonymous User]

its really not a question of whether or not they will match... it is whether firms will be cheap and true us up? If a firm does match but makes no mention of truing up... that's not great.

Yep. I could also see some cheap firms trying to call the true-up a "bonus" that is hours-based.

The complaining in this thread really isn't that hard to understand - we want more money and we want it now!

Even if the complaining is irrational and most people know their firms will raise or match, it's annoying when people who purport to be above it care enough to come to this thread to tell us about how pointless the discussion is.

Perhaps people are just angsty. Or bored. Or want the understanding of when and how they can expect money. In any case, the policing of this is ridiculous. Don't click on the thread if you're due to be bothered.

[Anonymous User]

Put me in the camp of people should stop whining about the delay in matching. If you've been following the salary raises for the last several years, we all know the matches are coming eventually. Every day that passes just makes it more likely that it's a re-raise instead of just a match. If you're at a V10 that hasn't matched yet (are there any that have?), you know you're going to get trued up when the market is eventually set. There's no world where a milbank associate or a cadawhatever associate is paid more in base than a DPW associate by the end of the year. Just chill out and be pleasantly surprised when the re-raise or special bonuses come out.

People are complaining that their firm hasn't announced knowing that the firm eventually will. And you're here complaining about their complaining knowing that even after your novel take, they will continue to complain.

+1.

[Anonymous User]

Put me in the camp of people should stop whining about the delay in matching. If you've been following the salary raises for the last several years, we all know the matches are coming eventually. Every day that passes just makes it more likely that it's a re-raise instead of just a match. If you're at a V10 that hasn't matched yet (are there any that have?), you know you're going to get trued up when the market is eventually set. There's no world where a milbank associate or a cadawhatever associate is paid more in base than a DPW associate by the end of the year. Just chill out and be pleasantly surprised when the re-raise or special bonuses come out.

This much delay is basically a "fuck you" from the partnership. There's a difference between making a good faith effort to walk-the-talk and pay top of the market compensation, and begrudgingly doing so a month after the fact.

If you actually speak to some partners, many truly believe associates don't even deserve what they make right now, much less a raise. Plenty think the M&A cycle is slowing down, and the whole hot market for laterals is some temporary, ridiculous phenomenon.

They've had more than enough time to think it through. Just like Cravath's pissant effort to barely raise EOY bonuses after a record profit year, the partners will once again try to get away with paying as little as possible.

[BrowsingTLS]

DPW SCALE + SPECIAL BONUS FOR ASSOCIATES IN GOOD STANDING!!

1st years 2021 225K + 20K
2nd years 2020 240K + 30K
3rd years 2019 265K + 60K
4th years 2018 300K + 80K
5th years 2017 345K + 100K
6th years 2016 370K + 110K
7th years 2015 390K + 120K
8th years 2014+ 400K + 120K

No, not really.

[Anonymous User]

what the fuck is wrong with you

[Anonymous User]

DPW SCALE + SPECIAL BONUS FOR ASSOCIATES IN GOOD STANDING!!

1st years 2021 225K + 20K
2nd years 2020 240K + 30K
3rd years 2019 265K + 60K
4th years 2018 300K + 80K
5th years 2017 345K + 100K
6th years 2016 370K + 110K
7th years 2015 390K + 120K
8th years 2014+ 400K + 120K

No, not really.

llllllllloooooooooooolllllllllllll

"It was all worth it! The wait! The TLS debate! Everything!"