Salaries at European law firms? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Anonymous because I'm about to interview with this firm.

2L here with bad grades. From a T30 school. Through some connections, I got an interview with a Swiss law firm and they want to interview me on Friday. It's a mid-tier firm, but it has four offices in major cities and they would be offering me a job doing corporate/transactional work, so I am crossing my fingers that I get it.

I can't find any salary information online, so I want to know if anyone here has experience with European (non-British) law firms and what the expected payscale is? I think it's something like €67,000, but maybe €67k is too high - I have no idea. What is the firm culture like compared to a US law firm? How does the pay typically increase per year?

[Old Gregg]

PM me.

[Anonymous User]

Anonymous because I'm about to interview with this firm.

2L here with bad grades. From a T30 school. Through some connections, I got an interview with a Swiss law firm and they want to interview me on Friday. It's a mid-tier firm, but it has four offices in major cities and they would be offering me a job doing corporate/transactional work, so I am crossing my fingers that I get it.

I can't find any salary information online, so I want to know if anyone here has experience with European (non-British) law firms and what the expected payscale is? I think it's something like €67,000, but maybe €67k is too high - I have no idea. What is the firm culture like compared to a US law firm? How does the pay typically increase per year?

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get the interview? Also, are you fluent in German/Italian/French?

[Anonymous User]

Anonymous because I'm about to interview with this firm.

2L here with bad grades. From a T30 school. Through some connections, I got an interview with a Swiss law firm and they want to interview me on Friday. It's a mid-tier firm, but it has four offices in major cities and they would be offering me a job doing corporate/transactional work, so I am crossing my fingers that I get it.

I can't find any salary information online, so I want to know if anyone here has experience with European (non-British) law firms and what the expected payscale is? I think it's something like €67,000, but maybe €67k is too high - I have no idea. What is the firm culture like compared to a US law firm? How does the pay typically increase per year?

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get the interview? Also, are you fluent in German/Italian/French?

OP here. I got the interview through a very strong connection who didn't initially pull through during the OCI period. Then I think he felt guilty or something, because he made the phone call for me last week (he is a client of the firm). My grades are shit, like below median, so without connections I wouldn't get an interview.

I do have fluency in French and Spanish, and I have some prior work experience in Europe, but it was nothing outstanding. So yeah, this one boiled down to pure networking. The person who made the phone call for me is someone I befriended through a networking event when I was a 1L. He and I went to the same high school, so that was our initial bond.

My advice when networking, especially as a 1L, is to not limit yourself to law school networking receptions. If your law school is part of a university that also has a business school, go to the business school's networking events. That's how I met this contact.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I'm not going to believe that nobody on TLS has worked at a European firm and/or doesn't know someone who has.

[TTH]

OP here. I'm not going to believe that nobody on TLS has worked at a European firm and/or doesn't know someone who has.

Honestly, the closest you're gonna get to anyone with this kind of experience is someone who's at a Magic Circle firm in London, or MAYBE an overseas office of a US firm, but I don't know any TLS regulars working in Continental Europe. Get with your school's CSO to find an alum at one of Jones Day or Squire Sanders fifteen European offices.

[Anonymous User]

"Trainees" in the UK generally make 35-40k GBP. If taken on after the two-year traineeship period, it generally doubles to about 75-80k GBP. US attorneys hired for US practice groups in the UK are paid at normal US rates, i.e. 160k, plus get their housing paid for and other cost of living adjustments. AFAIK, most of Europe has a pretty similar compensation system.

[Anonymous User]

First, in Switzerland salaries are not paid in EUR because Switzerland is not part of the EU and they have the Swiss Franc.
You can expect a salary of at least CHF 100,000 (around USD 100,000). Living costs are high in Switzerland, tax lower than in the US.

German salaries at international law firms are more or less the same compared to the U.S., higher tax but significantly lower living costs.

UK salaries for admitted attorneys are quite nice.

[Anonymous User]

"Trainees" in the UK generally make 35-40k GBP. If taken on after the two-year traineeship period, it generally doubles to about 75-80k GBP. US attorneys hired for US practice groups in the UK are paid at normal US rates, i.e. 160k, plus get their housing paid for and other cost of living adjustments. AFAIK, most of Europe has a pretty similar compensation system.

With respect to the UK, it depends on what law firm you're talking about. See, e.g., http://blogs.vault.com/blog/vaults-law- ... ic-circle/ ("Salaries for newly qualified lawyers at Magic Circle firms hover around £60,000, whereas many US firms in London pay more than £90,000"); see also http://www.thesrgroup.com/SiteImages/As ... ey2011.pdf .

[Anonymous User]

Somewhat off topic

Does anyone know if any US firms give COLA packages for continental assignments? (e.g. France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, etc....)

[uvabro]

no experience but had some jerbs in europe. the salary for the same job absolutely depended on country. the euro works differently in different countries. a big mac in ireland will be 5-6 euro. in germany it will be 2-3.

[IAFG]

OP here. I'm not going to believe that nobody on TLS has worked at a European firm and/or doesn't know someone who has.

I actually do know someone going to a Swiss firm. But I can't say I asked him about his salary...