Tracking COVID-19's effect on V100 associate pay/layoffs
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2020 1:14 pm
Anyone interested in tracking the effects of COVID-19 on associate pay at V100 law firms? I'll start the list below. I recognize that Vault is a flawed ranking system, but I'm putting these in order of the current Vault rankings for the sake of organization and seeing the effects on the "most prestigious" firms.
Updated Fri May 15, 2020 4:00 pm Eastern Time (U.S.) (today's updates in purple)
Summary Stats:
Updated Fri May 15, 2020 4:00 pm Eastern Time (U.S.) (today's updates in purple)
Summary Stats:
- 41 of the V100 have (reportedly or allegedly) implemented compensation freezes/cuts or layoffs.
- These 41 include 11 V50s and 30 V51-100 firms.
- The largest pay cut to have been announced is 25%, by Cadwalader (V52) and Arent Fox (V77).
- The highest Vault-ranked firm to have announced compensation freezes/cuts or layoffs is Boies Schiller (V24). (Note: Boies Schiller asserts its layoffs are due to partner defections.)
- Boies Schiller (V24) - Unspecified percentage of associates laid off (purportedly due to partner defections)
- Hogan Lovells (V27) - 15% pay cut for associates making >$400k; 10% pay cut for all other associates
- Baker McKenzie (V32) - 15% pay cut for associates
- Orrick (V34) - 15% pay cut for senior associates; 10% pay cut for junior and mid-level associates
- Mayer Brown (V35) - 15% pay cut for associates; voluntary 12-week sabbatical while being paid 25% of normal salary (or 35% of normal salary if pro bono work is performed)
- Goodwin Procter (V37) - Unspecified percentage of associates laid off (purportedly due in part to performance issues)
- K&L Gates (V40) - 15% pay cut for associates
- Shearman (V44) - Voluntary 3-6 month sabbatical while being paid 30% of normal salary (or 40% of normal salary if pro bono work is performed); alleged layoff of associates who failed to win the H1B lottery who were previously promised reassignment overseas (see http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... #p10425068); alleged layoffs not publicly reported
- Baker Botts (V45) - 20% pay cut for associates
- Linklaters (V46) - 50% of bonus deferred; salary reviews deferred by six months
- Perkins Coie (V49) - 15% pay cut for associates and patent agents
- Cadwalader (V52) - 25% pay cut for associates
- Dentons (V55) - 20% pay cut for all associates except first-years (second-years get a slightly less than 20% cut so they don't get paid less than first-years); 15% pay cut for first-year associates; 50% of 2019 bonus deferred to the second half of 2020
- McDermott Will & Emery (V57) - Unspecified percentage of associates laid off
- Freshfields (V58) - Associate pay frozen; bonus reviews deferred by five months
- Reed Smith (V61) - 15% pay cut for associates; alleged unspecified percentage of associates laid off (see https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/ ... #p10426582); alleged layoffs not publicly reported
- Pillsbury (V62) - 20% pay cut for associates
- Holland & Knight (V64) - 17.5% pay cut for associates
- BakerHostetler (V65) - ~16% pay cut for associates (10% annualized over the entire year)
- Norton Rose (V66) - Unspecified percentage of associates laid off; 15% pay cut for remaining associates
- Nixon Peabody (V68) - 5% of associates laid off; 5% of associates furloughed; 10% pay cut for remaining associates
- Crowell & Moring (V69) - 15% pay cut for associates
- Venable (V70) - 20% pay cut for associates
- Squire Patton Boggs (V72) - 20% pay cut for associates
- Sheppard Mullin (V74) - 12% pay cut for associates
- Arent Fox (V77) - 25% pay cut for associates
- Locke Lord (V79) - 10% pay cut for associates
- Katten (V81) - 20% pay cut for associates
- Bryan Cave (V82) - 15% pay cut for associates; voluntary sabbatical while being paid 30% of normal salary; voluntary part-time schedule with corresponding reduction in salary
- Seyfarth Shaw (V83) - ~50 attorneys furloughed for 90 days; 10% pay cut for associates
- Pepper Hamilton (V84) - 20% pay cut for associates
- Fox Rothschild (V85) - 10-15% pay cut for associates (10% of pay up to $200k, plus 20% of pay over $200k, provided that the maximum total pay cut is 15%)
- Duane Morris (V87) - 15% pay cut for associates; elimination of 401(k) matching
- Davis Wright Tremaine (V90) - 12% pay cut for associates
- Blank Rome (V92) - 15% pay cut for associates
- Kilpatrick (V93) - 5% pay cut for associates
- Ballard Spahr (V94) - 15% pay cut for associates; no raises
- Faegre Drinker (V95) - 15% pay cut for associates
- Mintz Levin (V96) - 10% pay cut for associates; no discretionary bonus (hours bonus remains untouched); 5% pay cut for patent agents
- Foley Hoag (V98) - 15% pay cut for associates; 7.5% pay cut for patent agents making >$150k
- Littler (V99) - 13% pay cut for all associates except first and second-years; 11% pay cut for first and second-year associates
- 0 V1-9
- 0 V10-19
- 2 V20-29
- 4 V30-39
- 5 V40-49
- 4 V50-59
- 7 V60-69
- 5 V70-79
- 6 V80-89
- 8 V90-99