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I'm interviewing at a law firm on the smaller side in a nearby city for an entry-level associate gig prior to admission. The salary is pretty low 55K annually and I was making much more as a 1L SA in midlaw during my 1L summer. Does getting admitted really make the difference in salaries? struggling to pass the bar, hoping to get the job done this time.

Yeah, it does, because then the firm can charge clients more for your time. 55k isn't even that bad for a nonadmitted attorney. Might be able to get a bump up to 60/65k after you are admitted.

1styearlateral wrote:Yeah, it does, because then the firm can charge clients more for your time. 55k isn't even that bad for a nonadmitted attorney. Might be able to get a bump up to 60/65k after you are admitted.

Thank you, I found it odd I was making more as a Summer Associate during my 1L summer (probably because it was a larger firm). I'll just focus on passing this bar exam.

As a general matter, smaller firms pay less than larger ones, as they can't afford the economic deadweight that results if you are slow/not busy (the exception, of course, is high end boutique firms). At the outset, you should negotiate what the firm will bump you to once you get admitted.

For anecdotal evidence - my midlaw salary went from $60k/year to 110k once I got admitted. A small firm might not be able to afford that large of a bump, and I suspect I was underpaid before admission, but that is what it is.

Edit: Numbers above are for a high COL major market. Suspect based on the numbers you provided that you are in a lower COL area.

SFSpartan wrote:As a general matter, smaller firms pay less than larger ones, as they can't afford the economic deadweight that results if you are slow/not busy (the exception, of course, is high end boutique firms). At the outset, you should negotiate what the firm will bump you to once you get admitted.

For anecdotal evidence - my midlaw salary went from $60k/year to 110k once I got admitted. A small firm might not be able to afford that large of a bump, and I suspect I was underpaid before admission, but that is what it is.

Edit: Numbers above are for a high COL major market. Suspect based on the numbers you provided that you are in a lower COL area.

Thank you, how do these other law grads find these JD preferred type finance jobs that pay just as well as some Associate Attorney gigs? I thought having a good resume would help me out but getting admitted is more important.

Anonymous User wrote:

SFSpartan wrote:As a general matter, smaller firms pay less than larger ones, as they can't afford the economic deadweight that results if you are slow/not busy (the exception, of course, is high end boutique firms). At the outset, you should negotiate what the firm will bump you to once you get admitted.

For anecdotal evidence - my midlaw salary went from $60k/year to 110k once I got admitted. A small firm might not be able to afford that large of a bump, and I suspect I was underpaid before admission, but that is what it is.

Edit: Numbers above are for a high COL major market. Suspect based on the numbers you provided that you are in a lower COL area.

Thank you, how do these other law grads find these JD preferred type finance jobs that pay just as well as some Associate Attorney gigs? I thought having a good resume would help me out but getting admitted is more important.

Can't help you there - I was never really interested in those jobs, so didn't look. At least in my market, though, an interest in doing tax work seems to help.

You should be looking for a job that will elevate you to an associate attorney after being admitted. You should be eligible for those jobs by saying your admission is forthcoming.

JD-advantage jobs are really just for people who do not want to practice law and would rather do compliance work. If you take one, you'll have to look for another job after being admitted (if you want to practice).