Nashville Salary Scale + Bonus Forum

[goanchors]

Is there any rumbling about Nashville firms possibly increasing associate salaries given the raises going on at other firms?

[Anonymous User]

Is there any rumbling about Nashville firms possibly increasing associate salaries given the raises going on at other firms?

They literally just moved up so I'm not hopeful, though with Polsinelli's move to 170 base coupled with remote firms like K&E offering even more money for laterals, maybe we'll see a move to 170.

[Anonymous User]

Do you know what the new Bass scale is? 155 to what?

[toomuchtoosoon]

Is there any rumbling about Nashville firms possibly increasing associate salaries given the raises going on at other firms?

They literally just moved up so I'm not hopeful, though with Polsinelli's move to 170 base coupled with remote firms like K&E offering even more money for laterals, maybe we'll see a move to 170.

A couple have moved to match. It’s great. Time for firms to pony up or admit second-class citizenship.

[Anonymous User]

Is there any rumbling about Nashville firms possibly increasing associate salaries given the raises going on at other firms?

They literally just moved up so I'm not hopeful, though with Polsinelli's move to 170 base coupled with remote firms like K&E offering even more money for laterals, maybe we'll see a move to 170.

A couple have moved to match. It’s great. Time for firms to pony up or admit second-class citizenship.

Bass is at 170, who isn't?

[Anonymous User]

Bradley is there. Anyone know what the next tier down is doing? Or what Baker/Waller is doing? Poor bands (Baker)

[Anonymous User]

Also very interested. What is the salary scale after the first year? Is it highly compressed now? Or will these firms pay close to $300k (or more) for 8th years now?

[Anonymous User]

Also very interested. What is the salary scale after the first year? Is it highly compressed now? Or will these firms pay close to $300k (or more) for 8th years now?

Still massively compressed. 8th year is around $260K before bonus and doesn't hit 300k even with bonus

[Anonymous User]

Baker is at 155k with meager bonuses

[toomuchtoosoon]

Baker is at 155k with meager bonuses

Yeah but y’all work less

[Anonymous User]

Bradley is there. Anyone know what the next tier down is doing? Or what Baker/Waller is doing? Poor bands (Baker)

Wait did Bradley move to 170?

[Anonymous User]

Bradley is there. Anyone know what the next tier down is doing? Or what Baker/Waller is doing? Poor bands (Baker)

Wait did Bradley move to 170?

Yes - BABC moved to new scale in August.

[Anonymous User]

Baker moved to 185k first year

[musiccityboer]

Baker moved to 185k first year

Nashville to Cravath scale 2022 confirmed lol

[Anonymous User]

Baker moved to 185k first year

Do you know what the scale looks like beyond first year?

[Anonymous User]

Baker moved to 185k first year

Do you know what the scale looks like beyond first year?

Not the OP, but I imagine the standard amounts of high compression the Nashville firms have always been know for and will do little to protect against the high midlevel attrition.

Also, I'm now grossly underpaid either way, the rest of the big 4 needs to follow.

[2013]

Baker moved to 185k first year

Do you know what the scale looks like beyond first year?

Not the OP, but I imagine the standard amounts of high compression the Nashville firms have always been know for and will do little to protect against the high midlevel attrition.

Also, I'm now grossly underpaid either way, the rest of the big 4 needs to follow.

I believe seventh years are at $285k.

[Anonymous User]

Baker moved to 185k first year

Do you know what the scale looks like beyond first year?

Not the OP, but I imagine the standard amounts of high compression the Nashville firms have always been know for and will do little to protect against the high midlevel attrition.

Also, I'm now grossly underpaid either way, the rest of the big 4 needs to follow.

I believe seventh years are at $285k.

Damn, this would significantly reduce compression at least on the scale my firm is at.

[Anonymous User]

Anon from earlier. Won’t drop the full scale but Baker is not being cheap (compared to how Nashville firms used to play it) and clearly, a gauntlet has been thrown here. Nashville will hit Cravath in 2022.

[Anonymous User]

Baker moved to 185k first year

Do you know what the scale looks like beyond first year?

Not the OP, but I imagine the standard amounts of high compression the Nashville firms have always been know for and will do little to protect against the high midlevel attrition.

Also, I'm now grossly underpaid either way, the rest of the big 4 needs to follow.

I believe seventh years are at $285k.

Newsflash: no such thing as “the big 4” anymore. If you’re at Waller, better hope they get acquired. Baker, Bradley, and Bass have much more to stand on. Bradley and Bass will struggle if they don’t raise soon. I don’t doubt Bass will but Bradley, who knows. They don’t pay close to market in any major market. They might be stretched too thin. They’ve always been a weird moderate between Baker and Bass, on several levels. Bass is more heavily concentrated in less markets and enjoys prime status in those places, except D.C. Honestly, all these firms are AmLaw fodder and have enjoyed a false sense of supremacy for too long.

[Anonymous User]

Anon from earlier. Won’t drop the full scale but Baker is not being cheap (compared to how Nashville firms used to play it) and clearly, a gauntlet has been thrown here. Nashville will hit Cravath in 2022.

Highly doubt this will happen in 2022. I know junior partners at some of the firms who are fuming right now because they’re now making less than senior associates. I’ve noticed that these smaller regional southern firms have bigger classes of junior/nonequity partners than other places. Unless they are willing to raise those salaries as well, I think it’ll be very hard for them to bump again to Cravath in 2022. Also, the rates couldn’t sustain that kind of bump.

[Anonymous User]

Newsflash: no such thing as “the big 4” anymore. If you’re at Waller, better hope they get acquired. Baker, Bradley, and Bass have much more to stand on. Bradley and Bass will struggle if they don’t raise soon. I don’t doubt Bass will but Bradley, who knows. They don’t pay close to market in any major market. They might be stretched too thin. They’ve always been a weird moderate between Baker and Bass, on several levels. Bass is more heavily concentrated in less markets and enjoys prime status in those places, except D.C. Honestly, all these firms are AmLaw fodder and have enjoyed a false sense of supremacy for too long.

I think this is largely correct. Waller probably could use a merger partner, though I don't know how attractive they are from a numerical standpoint. I also doubt they would be willing to do anything less than equals because their brand in Nashville is pretty solid and losing that name may have ramifications. I admittedly thought they should have found a partner about five years ago, so what do I know.

Bradley is going to have a problem. They have too many associates in Birmingham and a match to $185k is going to have people in Bham pissed (they are already mad about salary compression there and how much that gap has grown between Nashville and Birmingham). I imagine a raise in Nashville will also require a raise in Birmingham and that's probably easily $2-5MM.

Lots of firms trying to break into Nashville, but the big four have done a good job closing ranks and keeping out-of-town firms out. I will be interested to see how K&L fares but I am not optimistic, especially on the litigation side. Unless Waller (see above) or Bass merges (which it has been resistant to for years, despite offers from V20), I don't see anyone coming to town and having success (unless Baker or Bradley merge, but they're both probably too big).

[Anonymous User]

Anon from earlier. Won’t drop the full scale but Baker is not being cheap (compared to how Nashville firms used to play it) and clearly, a gauntlet has been thrown here. Nashville will hit Cravath in 2022.

Highly doubt this will happen in 2022. I know junior partners at some of the firms who are fuming right now because they’re now making less than senior associates. I’ve noticed that these smaller regional southern firms have bigger classes of junior/nonequity partners than other places. Unless they are willing to raise those salaries as well, I think it’ll be very hard for them to bump again to Cravath in 2022. Also, the rates couldn’t sustain that kind of bump.

You don’t have to believe something for it to be true lol. I didn’t say these baby firms would be the ones raising. I said the top of Nashville would match Cravath. A bunch of AmLaw firms (all the way to the top) have been salivating over Nashville for years, just waiting. What highly desirable summer or junior associate is going to walk away from 200+? I work in “the big 4” and I know people working AmLaw hours for non-AmLaw pay. The rates will come up. All partners here do is gripe about how low their rates are. There’s a lot of factors that will soon make the perfect storm.

[Anonymous User]

Newsflash: no such thing as “the big 4” anymore. If you’re at Waller, better hope they get acquired. Baker, Bradley, and Bass have much more to stand on. Bradley and Bass will struggle if they don’t raise soon. I don’t doubt Bass will but Bradley, who knows. They don’t pay close to market in any major market. They might be stretched too thin. They’ve always been a weird moderate between Baker and Bass, on several levels. Bass is more heavily concentrated in less markets and enjoys prime status in those places, except D.C. Honestly, all these firms are AmLaw fodder and have enjoyed a false sense of supremacy for too long.

I think this is largely correct. Waller probably could use a merger partner, though I don't know how attractive they are from a numerical standpoint. I also doubt they would be willing to do anything less than equals because their brand in Nashville is pretty solid and losing that name may have ramifications. I admittedly thought they should have found a partner about five years ago, so what do I know.

Bradley is going to have a problem. They have too many associates in Birmingham and a match to $185k is going to have people in Bham pissed (they are already mad about salary compression there and how much that gap has grown between Nashville and Birmingham). I imagine a raise in Nashville will also require a raise in Birmingham and that's probably easily $2-5MM.

Lots of firms trying to break into Nashville, but the big four have done a good job closing ranks and keeping out-of-town firms out. I will be interested to see how K&L fares but I am not optimistic, especially on the litigation side. Unless Waller (see above) or Bass merges (which it has been resistant to for years, despite offers from V20), I don't see anyone coming to town and having success (unless Baker or Bradley merge, but they're both probably too big).

Yeah, I doubt Bradley will match, especially since they matched to 170 so quick. Baker waited almost a year before a comp move, saved a crap ton in avoided cost, and raised above competition. And during December, the worst time for transactional lawyers hours-wise. I’ve heard about struggles in K&L’s office and let’s be honest, K&L is not a market leader anywhere. They’re not anyone to worry about. People just wet themselves over a big firm and moved but they’ll regret it. I’ve heard some have already.

Your points about Bradley are exactly why this is the right time. As for Bass, they treat us like true biglaw associates hours and culture-wise though we’re far from it. Also, Waller can insist on whatever it wants. The best they’re gonna get is a firm adopting a regional name, if that. Waller is already out of its depth. My friends there are regretting their choice because future status is looking bleak. No raise to 170 and certainly no raise to 185, all for the same hours. 185 will be low by the end of the year.

Think about it, in what major market is Baker a comp leader? None. Zero. If Baker is moving to 185, it’s because the writing is on the wall and they want to be proactive. Lawyers are so stuck on “this is the way it’s always been” they can’t see the obvious unfolding in front of them. At least one AmLaw firm has committed to a Nashville office and will announce in a few months. You can’t just work and keep your head down. You’ve got to keep up with market trends (or cross your fingers that your partner is and they’ll take you with them).

[Anonymous User]

Newsflash: no such thing as “the big 4” anymore. If you’re at Waller, better hope they get acquired. Baker, Bradley, and Bass have much more to stand on. Bradley and Bass will struggle if they don’t raise soon. I don’t doubt Bass will but Bradley, who knows. They don’t pay close to market in any major market. They might be stretched too thin. They’ve always been a weird moderate between Baker and Bass, on several levels. Bass is more heavily concentrated in less markets and enjoys prime status in those places, except D.C. Honestly, all these firms are AmLaw fodder and have enjoyed a false sense of supremacy for too long.

I think this is largely correct. Waller probably could use a merger partner, though I don't know how attractive they are from a numerical standpoint. I also doubt they would be willing to do anything less than equals because their brand in Nashville is pretty solid and losing that name may have ramifications. I admittedly thought they should have found a partner about five years ago, so what do I know.

Bradley is going to have a problem. They have too many associates in Birmingham and a match to $185k is going to have people in Bham pissed (they are already mad about salary compression there and how much that gap has grown between Nashville and Birmingham). I imagine a raise in Nashville will also require a raise in Birmingham and that's probably easily $2-5MM.

Lots of firms trying to break into Nashville, but the big four have done a good job closing ranks and keeping out-of-town firms out. I will be interested to see how K&L fares but I am not optimistic, especially on the litigation side. Unless Waller (see above) or Bass merges (which it has been resistant to for years, despite offers from V20), I don't see anyone coming to town and having success (unless Baker or Bradley merge, but they're both probably too big).

How much does Bradley pay in Birmingham?