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I recently got a job offer and the letter stated that I’d be coming in as an associate that is a year ahead of my class (I trimmed a year when I came to my current job, fyi). I think this has to do with the firm’s slightly below-market salary, but I’m just concerned that it’ll be a lot more pressure on me to come in at a class year above my current one. Has anyone ever negotiated down a class year?

Not me personally, but this definitely happens and it's not a dumb idea. Esp. when you look at the marginal tax rate in your income bracket, the extra change seems small pennies if it gives you more comfort that you're tracking where you should be.

Not quite the same, but I clerked for a year before entering the firm world, and one of my co-clerks and his firm mutually agreed to start him as a 1st year rather than follow that firm's policy (and usual biglaw practice) of giving him a class year credit for clerking. He went into the transactional side rather than the usual clerk-litigation pipeline, and I know he was concerned about not having developed any skills that would have helped him along toward 2nd year responsibilities.

I may have just gotten unlucky, but I started at a smaller firm and then when I lateraled to big law I took a class year hit. The admin and practice group head my know that, but random partner X doesn’t, and I’ve made a mistake before and partner X says someone with your years of experience shouldn’t make that mistake. Basically, despite my pay and technical class year, I get held to the standard of someone with my years of experience. All this is to say, you may be better off taking the higher class year and money because most people will hold you to that standard anyway. Like when I mess up, I can’t be like, well hey mr partner, lower your expectations because I’m only being paid like an X year.

I know someone who joined my firm after about 10 years of government litigation work. He had no clients of his own so they ultimately hired him as a 6th year associate. He was older than some of the junior partners and certainly had more litigation experience than them. But the goal was to give him time to adjust to firm practice, develop clients, and give him a fair shot of making of counsel or partner.

Anonymous User wrote:I may have just gotten unlucky, but I started at a smaller firm and then when I lateraled to big law I took a class year hit. The admin and practice group head my know that, but random partner X doesn’t, and I’ve made a mistake before and partner X says someone with your years of experience shouldn’t make that mistake. Basically, despite my pay and technical class year, I get held to the standard of someone with my years of experience. All this is to say, you may be better off taking the higher class year and money because most people will hold you to that standard anyway. Like when I mess up, I can’t be like, well hey mr partner, lower your expectations because I’m only being paid like an X year.

Yes, but you also have another year to catch up before you are up for partner. You don't want to be up for partner and have partner X commenting about your mistake being below your class year.

OP here

I tried negotiating down, but then was told that the firm’s fiscal year starts soon so it was just an early bump (i.e. I will get my next bump in 14 months).