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Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:16 pm
by Anonymous User
Just curious. Does anyone here know? I have a friend who works at MoFo in Tokyo and he's paid U.S. rates but I don't know if this is the anomaly.
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 1:25 am
by Wipfelder
Anonymous User wrote:Just curious. Does anyone here know? I have a friend who works at MoFo in Tokyo and he's paid U.S. rates but I don't know if this is the anomaly.
But that COLA
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 2:18 am
by Johann
Yeah either the same or more.
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 2:22 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Just curious. Does anyone here know? I have a friend who works at MoFo in Tokyo and he's paid U.S. rates but I don't know if this is the anomaly.
Will be summering at a firm's satellite office in Tokyo, and they also pay U.S. rates. Not sure how other international rates compare, but anecdotally Japan seems to follow the U.S. rates.
As for COLA, having lived in Tokyo before law school, I found it cheaper than NYC. There are expensive neighborhoods near the center of the city (Roppongi, Otemachi, etc.), but outside those areas it wasn't that bad.
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 2:50 am
by Anonymous User
Pretty common for foreign offices of biglaw firms to pay US market + cost of living allowances. Also some of these places have substantially lower income taxes (e.g. HK, Gulf countries, Singapore).
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 10:57 am
by Anonymous User
My friend at an Asian satellite office of a V10 gets paid US rate salary + ~100k COLA but he lives at his folk's place so essentially getting paid ~70%ish bonus. (The pay also comes in at USD, which is nice at a strong dollar times like this).
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:09 am
by Anonymous User
What about how it works in Europe, i.e. Rome or Milan, or even Paris, London or Brussels?
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:46 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Pretty common for foreign offices of biglaw firms to pay US market + cost of living allowances. Also some of these places have substantially lower income taxes (e.g. HK, Gulf countries, Singapore).
Keep in mind that as a US citizen or greencard holder, we get the honor of paying additional US income taxes (+ possible payroll taxes) after the first 100k.
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 2:10 pm
by Anonymous User
Yes. That I did know!
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:14 pm
by Anonymous User
I'm really trying to work in paris after my clerkship. Trying to get info on the lifestyles at the different offices there and who does the most sophisticated work in arbitration and transnational litigation.
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:53 pm
by worldtraveler
In the gulf countries you usually get paid your US base salary + housing allowance or firm provided housing +home leave allowance (paid in cash) + resettlement allowance + transportation allowance + completely free health insurance that covers 100% of anything you can think of
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 12:28 pm
by Wipfelder
worldtraveler wrote:In the gulf countries you usually get paid your US base salary + housing allowance or firm provided housing +home leave allowance (paid in cash) + resettlement allowance + transportation allowance + completely free health insurance that covers 100% of anything you can think of
Damn, that is tempting.
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:36 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:I'm really trying to work in paris after my clerkship. Trying to get info on the lifestyles at the different offices there and who does the most sophisticated work in arbitration and transnational litigation.
Basically every US qualified lawyer I know of in Europe does corporate/lev finance, so can't help you there.
To the general question above, though, London market is currently NYC + COLA, which depending on firm is somewhere around an extra 60kGBP-100kUSD. They also generally pay for at least several years of tax prep (covering those US/UK tax adventures), etc. (My old firm also paid for a couple round-trip tickets per-year home each year, new firm doesn't but had more interesting work/main office here.)
It's a great time to have a USD-denominated salary right now and live in the UK. We've all effectively gotten a massive pay bump since Brexit.
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 7:52 am
by Veil of Ignorance
Why do you get such a huge COLA for cities like London, when living in New York is pretty much as expensive? It seems like an extra 100k per year would make these positions by far the most attractive for new associates. Does the double tax burden eliminate the difference or something?
Re: Are U.S. trained attorneys paid U.S. firm rates abroad?
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 9:43 am
by 2014
London positions are often competitive for US associates, even if you are just talking about moving from your firm's US hub to London. Without a good reason to be in London most people will have trouble doing it. I think over the next 3-5 years the London COLA is going to drop/go away, I've already heard talk of it at my firm though nothing in the form of an official announcement.