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T14 grad, 1 year experience in corporate at firm (non-biglaw; small/midsize firm)

Recently laid-off due to non-performance reasons. Decent interviewer. Money is not a factor for the foreseeable future (assume parents will help out with rent).

Peer sized, primary market (non-NYC) firm with target of 2000 billables.

Any best offer on the table of course. We don't know the circumstances of your situation, but it seems that it's not entirely the best one to be in as a young attorney.

If I'm paying COL in a biglaw market and working with a biglaw billable hour target, I'd want the closest thing to biglaw pay, which is apparently 140k in this poll.

That being said, if money isn't a factor I wouldn't even set a floor - I'd be looking for the chillest possible job.

Vexed wrote:If I'm paying COL in a biglaw market and working with a biglaw billable hour target, I'd want the closest thing to biglaw pay, which is apparently 140k in this poll.

That being said, if money isn't a factor I wouldn't even set a floor - I'd be looking for the chillest possible job.

Seconded. 2000 is nothing to sneeze at - it is absolutely BigLaw-range billables (and would correspond to BigLaw-range hours). That said, pay at smaller firms is often significantly less - it's not "fair," but that's just how the market is. Not sure what you're really looking for here: Do you want TLS' blessing to take a lower-paying job since finances are less of an issue/not an issue for you? Do you want to hear that QOL will be substantially better at this firm compared to BigLaw (hint: it probably won't be, given the billable target)? Or do you want us to tell you to go BigLaw or bust?

To give you a data point here - I recently moved from a midsize firm to a corporate & IP boutique. Billable target is 1750. I'm bringing in $140k + 20% of any business I originate. I'd shoot for at least 140 if you're in a primary market.

An attorney laid off in their first year is in a vulnerable place, so you kind of have to be open to a wide range of salary outcomes. That said, 2000 billable hours is not fun, and anything less than six figures for that would be hard for me to stomach.