Comp at DWT Forum

(On Campus Interviews, Summer Associate positions, Firm Reviews, Tips, ...)
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are revealing sensitive employment related information about a firm, job, etc. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned.
Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Comp at DWT

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:24 pm

It looks like comp at DWT is lagging behind market. They bumped first year salaries to 200k in NY/SF and 190k in LA/DC last year, but after the big special bonuses and Milbank moving to 215k, the gap seems to be even bigger.

The apparent tradeoff is a lower billable requirement and a good firm culture. My question is: for people at DWT, are these tradeoffs worth it? Or do you wish you worked at a market paying firm?

Anonymous User
Posts: 428105
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Comp at DWT

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:34 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:24 pm
It looks like comp at DWT is lagging behind market. They bumped first year salaries to 200k in NY/SF and 190k in LA/DC last year, but after the big special bonuses and Milbank moving to 215k, the gap seems to be even bigger.

The apparent tradeoff is a lower billable requirement and a good firm culture. My question is: for people at DWT, are these tradeoffs worth it? Or do you wish you worked at a market paying firm?
Not a direct answer to your question, but I worked at a firm close to DWT’s scale, and the real comparison to make is the salary after the first couple of years. There’s serious compression, even without accounting for the bonus differential (like salaries rising by $10K or sometimes less as you progress). The bonuses can also be laughable.

On the plus side, it is relatively easier to make partner at such places compared to, say, a V20-V30.

It’s still a lot of work, and it can be harder to bill a lot with cost sensitive clients. This might not apply to DWT, as I haven’t worked there. I personally liked working at the firm I was at and the trade-off was worth it for me. I think working at that firm was the biggest contributor to my longevity in the profession.

Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Legal Employment”