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Is there any directory that shows what partners at the NLJ 250 are pulling down? I'm curious to see how much partners at some of the "midlaw" type firms towards the bottom are making, where, presumably, making partner is more of a sure thing.

since when does less attorneys mean an easier shot at partnership?

BlueDiamond wrote:since when does less attorneys mean an easier shot at partnership?

it isn't a perfect rule, but overall it is easier to make partner at MOST of those smaller firms, from what i've gathered

BlueDiamond wrote:since when does less attorneys mean an easier shot at partnership?

because when they bring in about 1-2 associates a year and have people periodically retiring, it does not require rocket science to figure out that they are going to need to be making associates into partners. it's not a hard-and-fast rule, and i knew someone would jump on my back for it, but it's definitely a different partner track situation than the one generally encountered at the huge firms.

anyways, does anyone know about PPP info? I feel like I've seen it somewhere, but I can't track it down.

i've seen it somewhere but it was from like 2002 or something. not sure if there is more recent data.

mapes wrote:

BlueDiamond wrote:since when does less attorneys mean an easier shot at partnership?

it isn't a perfect rule, but overall it is easier to make partner at MOST of those smaller firms, from what i've gathered

It depends on the particular firm's hiring philosophy. As a general rule, firms that hire more conservatively give you a better chance at partner. It's probably true that more midsized firms hire with the intention of retaining people long term rather than having classmates duke it out for partnership.

The information you're looking for is pretty easy to find if you have westlaw or nexis. Otherwise, you'll need an AmLaw subscription to access the charts. PM me and I can probably give you some representative comparisons. A lot of people would probably be surprised at the similarities in take home pay for partners at biglaw and midlaw firms outside the top few.

http://www.americanlawyer-digital.com/a ... pg=44#pg44

From 2009, but also includes associate satisfaction surveys and revenue per partner.

For various reasons, PPP does not accurately represent what an average partner is making.

G. T. L. Rev. wrote:

nealric wrote:For various reasons, PPP does not accurately represent what an average partner is making.

Also, PPP is often inversely related to associates' interest. As in, some firms recently laid associates off like mad, froze salaries, and rescinded offers, all with the overt aim of keeping PPP up. Conversely, a smaller fraction of firms decided not to conduct layoffs, while taking a small PPP hit.

This cuts both ways. When PPP falls, the rainmaking partners leave, and then there's no work for associates, so there are layoffs/no offers, etc.

Basically PPP is a worthless statistic until you are actually staring down the barrel of parnership. RPL is a better measure of firm health.