BigLaw Associate Median Salary to $145K Forum

[r6_philly]

145K for firms over 700? That's barely the top 50 firms. So places like DLA Piper, Baker McKensey, Squire Sanders, Morgan Lewis, McGuireWoods, Hutnon Williams, etc etc. count.

But Arnold Porter, Devoise, Quinn, Cravath, Fried Frank, & DPW don't count.

It's 55 firms, and if any of them dropped base salary last year, I didn't hear about it. Seems like the most likely explanation is that the firms that pay $145k in secondaries picked up their hiring in those markets.

Or major market slowed but secondary stayed steady.

[rayiner]

This is less surprising when you think of some of the firms in the "700+ attorney" category. Many of these are headquartered in secondary markets. E.g. Reed Smith, based in Pittsburgh, Hunton & Williams and McGuire Woods based in Richmond, Morgan Lewis and Dechert based in Philadelphia, Alston & Bird and King & Spalding in Atlanta, etc.

[dixiecupdrinking]

This is less surprising when you think of some of the firms in the "700+ attorney" category. Many of these are headquartered in secondary markets. E.g. Reed Smith, based in Pittsburgh, Hunton & Williams and McGuire Woods based in Richmond, Morgan Lewis and Dechert based in Philadelphia, Alston & Bird and King & Spalding in Atlanta, etc.

Yup. Some of the firms in this category, according to Wikipedia also include DLA Piper, K&L Gates, Greenberg Traurig, Squire Sanders, Foley & Lardner, Bryan Cave, Littler Mendelson, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith (which I have NEVER heard of, pardon my east coast bias), Perkins Coie, etc. etc. etc. I'd venture that many of these places either pay none of their associates above $145,000 or only do for a relatively small proportion who are in NYC.

[IAFG]

This is less surprising when you think of some of the firms in the "700+ attorney" category. Many of these are headquartered in secondary markets. E.g. Reed Smith, based in Pittsburgh, Hunton & Williams and McGuire Woods based in Richmond, Morgan Lewis and Dechert based in Philadelphia, Alston & Bird and King & Spalding in Atlanta, etc.

Yup. Some of the firms in this category, according to Wikipedia also include DLA Piper, K&L Gates, Greenberg Traurig, Squire Sanders, Foley & Lardner, Bryan Cave, Littler Mendelson, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith (which I have NEVER heard of, pardon my east coast bias), Perkins Coie, etc. etc. etc. I'd venture that many of these places either pay none of their associates above $145,000 or only do for a relatively small proportion who are in NYC.

Haha I just did the same thing... "th' fuck's a Lewis Brisbois?"

[09042014]

This is less surprising when you think of some of the firms in the "700+ attorney" category. Many of these are headquartered in secondary markets. E.g. Reed Smith, based in Pittsburgh, Hunton & Williams and McGuire Woods based in Richmond, Morgan Lewis and Dechert based in Philadelphia, Alston & Bird and King & Spalding in Atlanta, etc.

Yup. Some of the firms in this category, according to Wikipedia also include DLA Piper, K&L Gates, Greenberg Traurig, Squire Sanders, Foley & Lardner, Bryan Cave, Littler Mendelson, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith (which I have NEVER heard of, pardon my east coast bias), Perkins Coie, etc. etc. etc. I'd venture that many of these places either pay none of their associates above $145,000 or only do for a relatively small proportion who are in NYC.

Haha I just did the same thing... "th' fuck's a Lewis Brisbois?"

+1

[HeavenWood]

This is less surprising when you think of some of the firms in the "700+ attorney" category. Many of these are headquartered in secondary markets. E.g. Reed Smith, based in Pittsburgh, Hunton & Williams and McGuire Woods based in Richmond, Morgan Lewis and Dechert based in Philadelphia, Alston & Bird and King & Spalding in Atlanta, etc.

Dechert is now based in NYC, and they actually see themselves as an NYC firm. It's quite adorable.

[09042014]

Lewis Brisbois starts at 80K and has a fuckton of lawyers. It's not really big law, but the walmart of midlaw.

[IAFG]

Lewis Brisbois starts at 80K and has a fuckton of lawyers. It's not really big law, but the walmart of midlaw.

So does that mean Enjoy Lewis Brisbois is the new Enjoy DLA Piper?

[Anonymous User]

This is less surprising when you think of some of the firms in the "700+ attorney" category. Many of these are headquartered in secondary markets. E.g. Reed Smith, based in Pittsburgh, Hunton & Williams and McGuire Woods based in Richmond, Morgan Lewis and Dechert based in Philadelphia, Alston & Bird and King & Spalding in Atlanta, etc.

Yup. Some of the firms in this category, according to Wikipedia also include DLA Piper, K&L Gates, Greenberg Traurig, Squire Sanders, Foley & Lardner, Bryan Cave, Littler Mendelson, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith (which I have NEVER heard of, pardon my east coast bias), Perkins Coie, etc. etc. etc. I'd venture that many of these places either pay none of their associates above $145,000 or only do for a relatively small proportion who are in NYC.

I'm gonna be an incoming SA at one of these $145K firms (obviously not whatever the fuck Lewis Brisbois is), and now I feel like ass. I bid really conservatively in fear of striking out, mostly on firms in the LA/SF market with bigger class sizes, but pay 145K. Damn it. My firm is being ridiculed. But they were awesome.

[IAFG]

This is less surprising when you think of some of the firms in the "700+ attorney" category. Many of these are headquartered in secondary markets. E.g. Reed Smith, based in Pittsburgh, Hunton & Williams and McGuire Woods based in Richmond, Morgan Lewis and Dechert based in Philadelphia, Alston & Bird and King & Spalding in Atlanta, etc.

Yup. Some of the firms in this category, according to Wikipedia also include DLA Piper, K&L Gates, Greenberg Traurig, Squire Sanders, Foley & Lardner, Bryan Cave, Littler Mendelson, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith (which I have NEVER heard of, pardon my east coast bias), Perkins Coie, etc. etc. etc. I'd venture that many of these places either pay none of their associates above $145,000 or only do for a relatively small proportion who are in NYC.

I'm gonna be an incoming SA at one of these $145K firms (obviously not whatever the fuck Lewis Brisbois is), and now I feel like ass. I bid really conservatively in fear of striking out, mostly on firms in the LA/SF market with bigger class sizes, but pay 145K. Damn it. My firm is being ridiculed. But they were awesome.

I don't think anyone is ridiculing making $145k. And apparently it's now typical biglaw pay. We're just pointing out that the median can move without there being fewer $160k-paying jobs.

[EvilClinton]

145K for firms over 700? That's barely the top 50 firms. So places like DLA Piper, Baker McKensey, Squire Sanders, Morgan Lewis, McGuireWoods, Hutnon Williams, etc etc. count.

But Arnold Porter, Devoise, Quinn, Cravath, Fried Frank, & DPW don't count.

It's 55 firms, and if any of them dropped base salary last year, I didn't hear about it. Seems like the most likely explanation is that the firms that pay $145k in secondaries picked up their hiring in those markets.

Or major market slowed but secondary stayed steady.

I know this is all just conjecture but I know that the big firm I was at this summer was hiring more associates in two secondary markets because the rates they could bill for those associates at was more competitive than their major market associate rates.

I was told this by a partner when I casually asked why the firm's offices in those markets had such big summer classes.

I specifically heard about places where the market rate is about 120k to start. IDK if that is a trend but it makes sense.