what is "big law" for salary purposes Forum

[rbfplacid]

I'm a recent graduate from tier 2 law school. I recently got an offer at a 800+ lawyer firm in NYC (no international offices), but the salary is significantly lower than the new big law standard. Glassdoor says average associate salary is in low 100s. Is this unusual? I hope this is also an encouraging story for those out there struggling with their job search. There is hope.

[QContinuum]

First off, congrats on your offer! Not easy to land from a Tier 2 school - you must've killed it grades-wise and/or done a lot of hustling. Kudos on your hard work and success.

I don't think there's a single precise definition of "BigLaw." But I think the main "metrics," so to speak, are salary and "prestige," not sheer size. For example, insurance defense firms and plaintiff firms are not generally considered BigLaw no matter how many lawyers they have. On the flip side, plenty of litigation boutiques are considered BigLaw, even though they may be very small.

[rbfplacid]

Thanks for your reply. It is in toxic tort litigation, so I guess it is not as glamorous as some other fields. From your explanation, I believe that is why the salary is lower. I actually didn't have very good grades. I applied blindly on indeed, but I had experience in the field. Since its a smaller field I believe its more common for everyone to know each other. I worked at a similar firm (though much smaller) the previous summer. I think that was the most helpful part. I don't really care that much about the salary. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't really unfair.

[JohnnieSockran]

Salary scale starting at or around $190k for a first year associate is generally biglaw (at least for NYC).

Some of the boutiques referred to by the poster above pay this scale or even higher, which is why size is not indicative of biglaw.

[nealric]

I think we should send your inquiry to the official biglaw certification board for a thorough review and examination

When most people talk about biglaw, they are usually talking about full-service firms in the Amlaw 100 (or at least 250) that pay "market" salary to associates or at least somewhere in the ballpark of what the current market salary is. It doesn't sound like the firm you are looking to join is what most people mean when they refer to biglaw, but I wouldn't get too hung up on definitions. It's a colloquial shorthand term anyways.

[rbfplacid]

Good suggestion. I will file a formal inquiry to the big law board.

[smokeylarue]

Generally people refer to it as the national law firms that largely start their associates at 180-190k in major markets. Have to include the elite boutique shops too. Some would probably include those regional biglaw/midlaw shops in the AmLaw 100 to 200ish range that no one here ever talks about but also pay pretty close to the national firms.

[Anonymous User]

No matter how many attorneys they have, Low 100s isn’t in the BL league. Especially in a high COL city. To answer your question on the LOW side, mid-170s.