Florida firms - salaries Forum

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VinnyIsMyCousin

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Florida firms - salaries

Post by VinnyIsMyCousin » Tue Nov 09, 2021 11:10 pm

Do different offices of the same Florida firms (Akerman, HK, GT, GrayRobinson, Shutts, etc) have different associate pay scales for different office locations, or is a firm’s salary scale uniform across its FL offices?

axolawtl

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by axolawtl » Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:52 am

VinnyIsMyCousin wrote:
Tue Nov 09, 2021 11:10 pm
Do different offices of the same Florida firms (Akerman, HK, GT, GrayRobinson, Shutts, etc) have different associate pay scales for different office locations, or is a firm’s salary scale uniform across its FL offices?
It depends on the firm. I know that Akerman, GrayRobinson, and Shutts have different salaries for different offices (south Florida offices receive higher salaries than central/north Florida). HK and Foley are standardized across all offices now. No idea where GT is at currently because they're so opaque about salary information.

VinnyIsMyCousin

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by VinnyIsMyCousin » Wed Nov 10, 2021 5:30 pm

What about for the same firm (like Akerman Miami v. ft Lauderdale v. WPB)?

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Nov 11, 2021 12:05 pm

VinnyIsMyCousin wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 5:30 pm
What about for the same firm (like Akerman Miami v. ft Lauderdale v. WPB)?
That's what I mean. Akerman Orlando pays less than Akerman Miami (unless that's changed recently). Not sure about the specific salary for each office, but maybe someone else here can provide that for you.

ETA: accidental anon. This is axolawtl.

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motoman92

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by motoman92 » Fri Nov 12, 2021 1:25 pm

Bump. Anyone have starting salary or mid-level salary data points for Tampa offices of firms like Akerman, Nelson Mullins, Shutts, Gunster, Trenam, etc.?

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:41 pm

Here's some info I've collected from various sources (peers, this forum, etc.):

  • Nelson Mullins lists its salary info on Vault/Firsthand. They start at $135k in Florida offices.
  • Phelps in Tampa starts around $125k.
  • Shutts in south Florida starts around $150k.
  • Gunster also lists its salary info on Vault/Firsthand. They start at $140k in central and north Florida, and $160k in south Florida.
Would also be interested in learning about Akerman's salary data.

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Nov 12, 2021 4:13 pm

Take this with a *heavy* grain of salt - but I’m pretty sure Akerman is 170 in Miami

VinnyIsMyCousin

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by VinnyIsMyCousin » Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:53 am

Friend got an offer at akerman recently starting at 190

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motoman92

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by motoman92 » Sat Nov 13, 2021 12:26 pm

VinnyIsMyCousin wrote:
Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:53 am
Friend got an offer at akerman recently starting at 190
Which office and what class year is your friend?

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axolawtl

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by axolawtl » Sat Nov 13, 2021 12:27 pm

VinnyIsMyCousin wrote:
Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:53 am
Friend got an offer at akerman recently starting at 190
In south Florida? Or north/central?

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by VinnyIsMyCousin » Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:54 pm

First-year in a Florida office. Not saying anymore for fear of outing

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Nov 14, 2021 3:12 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 12:05 pm
VinnyIsMyCousin wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 5:30 pm
What about for the same firm (like Akerman Miami v. ft Lauderdale v. WPB)?
That's what I mean. Akerman Orlando pays less than Akerman Miami (unless that's changed recently). Not sure about the specific salary for each office, but maybe someone else here can provide that for you.

ETA: accidental anon. This is axolawtl.
I'm at Akerman in Florida currently. The way the system works is that they group offices "based on the similarity of local legal markets." They don't tell us the groupings, but I'm sure Orlando is grouped with Tampa, maybe Jacksonville. I think Miami might be grouped with Fort Lauderdale. For each group, there is a range for each class year. It's not a single number. To add to the complication, I have reason to believe that they have made exceptions from the ranges in some cases -- particularly recently if you're in an in-demand practice area. So it's very hard to give general information.

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by axolawtl » Sun Nov 14, 2021 4:45 pm

VinnyIsMyCousin wrote:
Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:54 pm
First-year in a Florida office. Not saying anymore for fear of outing
I’m going to guess that it’s likely south Florida if it’s a first year. But who knows—with H&K and Foley at $200k in central Florida now (I think BakerHostetler is still at $175k in Orlando?), Akerman may have felt pressure to raise.

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motoman92

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by motoman92 » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:50 pm

Does anyone have any insight into salaries at lowdnes in Orlando?

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 17, 2021 10:41 am

motoman92 wrote:
Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:50 pm
Does anyone have any insight into salaries at lowdnes in Orlando?
Per NALP, starting salary is $115k, but not sure if they’ve recently adjusted that. I would hope they have. Also not sure what raises are like.

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by motoman92 » Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:16 pm

Going back to Akerman, I hear they require 400 non-billable hours for things like marketing, business development, etc. Can anyone confirm this is true? It seems like a lot. Do people often hit this / is there any flexibility if you don't?

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:01 pm

Are there are VC focused firms in Miami? A lot of hype about Miami as the next tech hub, but not clear if there are lawyers on the ground there.

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:02 pm

motoman92 wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:16 pm
Going back to Akerman, I hear they require 400 non-billable hours for things like marketing, business development, etc. Can anyone confirm this is true? It seems like a lot. Do people often hit this / is there any flexibility if you don't?
I'm the Akerman anon from above. This is formally a requirement, but it's a requirement of zero significance. I've been here almost four years now and have completely ignored it. I don't even enter non-billables into our time keeping program. I receive bonuses, and no one has mentioned the 400 non-billable hours requirement to me.

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:08 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:41 pm
Here's some info I've collected from various sources (peers, this forum, etc.):

  • Nelson Mullins lists its salary info on Vault/Firsthand. They start at $135k in Florida offices.
  • Phelps in Tampa starts around $125k.
  • Shutts in south Florida starts around $150k.
  • Gunster also lists its salary info on Vault/Firsthand. They start at $140k in central and north Florida, and $160k in south Florida.
Would also be interested in learning about Akerman's salary data.
Any info on Shutts in central FL? Curious about mid-level and senior expectations.

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:55 pm

. [accidental annon]
Last edited by Anonymous User on Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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motoman92

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by motoman92 » Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:56 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:02 pm
motoman92 wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:16 pm
Going back to Akerman, I hear they require 400 non-billable hours for things like marketing, business development, etc. Can anyone confirm this is true? It seems like a lot. Do people often hit this / is there any flexibility if you don't?
I'm the Akerman anon from above. This is formally a requirement, but it's a requirement of zero significance. I've been here almost four years now and have completely ignored it. I don't even enter non-billables into our time keeping program. I receive bonuses, and no one has mentioned the 400 non-billable hours requirement to me.
Thank you, this is super helpful. If you're up for it, I'd love to chat about this a bit more if you want to PM me?

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:41 pm

motoman92 wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:56 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:02 pm
motoman92 wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:16 pm
Going back to Akerman, I hear they require 400 non-billable hours for things like marketing, business development, etc. Can anyone confirm this is true? It seems like a lot. Do people often hit this / is there any flexibility if you don't?
I'm the Akerman anon from above. This is formally a requirement, but it's a requirement of zero significance. I've been here almost four years now and have completely ignored it. I don't even enter non-billables into our time keeping program. I receive bonuses, and no one has mentioned the 400 non-billable hours requirement to me.
Thank you, this is super helpful. If you're up for it, I'd love to chat about this a bit more if you want to PM me?
This is true. When I was an associate there, as long as you hit 1900 hours, no one cared.

Also, for comp, Akerman is very strange. I was in South Florida in a transactional group. I was close to NY market as were other transactional associates (we were ahead after taxes compared to NY). I knew a 6th year litigation associate in my office making less than me when I was a second year.

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motoman92

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by motoman92 » Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:16 am

Do you guys get the sense that most of the associates aren’t meeting this 400 hour requirement so long as they hit their 1900 billables? Trying to get a sense, because 400 seems super high to me.

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Re: Florida firms - salaries

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:28 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:41 pm
motoman92 wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:56 pm
Anonymous User wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:02 pm
motoman92 wrote:
Tue Nov 23, 2021 1:16 pm
Going back to Akerman, I hear they require 400 non-billable hours for things like marketing, business development, etc. Can anyone confirm this is true? It seems like a lot. Do people often hit this / is there any flexibility if you don't?
I'm the Akerman anon from above. This is formally a requirement, but it's a requirement of zero significance. I've been here almost four years now and have completely ignored it. I don't even enter non-billables into our time keeping program. I receive bonuses, and no one has mentioned the 400 non-billable hours requirement to me.
Thank you, this is super helpful. If you're up for it, I'd love to chat about this a bit more if you want to PM me?
This is true. When I was an associate there, as long as you hit 1900 hours, no one cared.

Also, for comp, Akerman is very strange. I was in South Florida in a transactional group. I was close to NY market as were other transactional associates (we were ahead after taxes compared to NY). I knew a 6th year litigation associate in my office making less than me when I was a second year.
Just went through OCI in Florida and am set on litigation: this is good to know.

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