An Introduction to BigLaw: Salaries, Hours, Hiring, and Whether It's Right for You

By the Top Law Schools Editorial Team · Updated October 10, 2026

Biglaw is shorthand for the largest, highest-paying U.S. law firms. This guide explains what the term means, how pay and bonuses work in 2026, what the hours really look like, how firms hire law students now, and what careers look like after a few years.

What's changed since this guide was first written. In 2010, the market starting salary was $160,000. In 2026, Milbank set a new top-of-market scale starting at $235,000, though Cravath's own published scale remained at $225,000 (Sartori). Recruiting has also moved from the fall of 2L year to the first semester of 1L year (LSAC).

In This Guide

What "Biglaw" Means

There's no official definition, but a firm is usually considered Biglaw when it:

Is large: typically several hundred to several thousand lawyers, often across many U.S. and international offices.
Pays the market rate: associates earn the top-of-market lockstep salary, often called the Cravath scale after the firm that historically set it.
Represents large institutional clients: public companies, private equity funds, financial institutions, and governments.
Expects long, unpredictable hours.

In practice, most people mean firms in the Am Law 100 and Am Law 200 rankings, plus a few smaller elite firms such as Wachtell Lipton and Williams & Connolly that pay at or above the top of the market.

The Scale of the Industry

The Am Law 100 generated $178.95 billion in gross revenue in fiscal 2025, up 13 percent, with 128,868 lawyers and average profits per equity partner of $3.59 million (Sartori, citing the 2026 Am Law 100). The largest firm by revenue, Kirkland & Ellis, passed $10.5 billion (Law.com).

Salaries in 2026

Most Biglaw firms use a lockstep scale, meaning associates in the same class year earn the same base salary regardless of hours or performance. On June 2, 2026, Milbank raised base salaries by $10,000 for first- through fourth-year associates and by $20,000 for fifth- through eighth-years, effective July 1 (Larson Maddox).

Class year	Milbank scale (from July 1, 2026)
1st	$235,000
2nd	$245,000
3rd	$270,000
4th	$320,000
5th	$385,000
6th	$410,000
7th	$440,000
8th	$455,000

Cravath's own published New York scale for 2026 runs from $225,000 for first-years to $420,000 for its most senior listed class.

Sources: Sartori, Los Angeles salary table; Sartori, Cravath scale.

Not every firm matched Milbank right away. As of early October 2026, industry commentators noted many firms had not yet moved to the $235,000 scale (LawFuel). Expect the year-end bonus announcements in November and December to clarify where the market settles.

Bonuses

Year-end bonuses are announced each fall. Cravath's November 2025 memo set year-end bonuses from $15,000 to $115,000 and special bonuses from $6,000 to $25,000, depending on class year (Sartori). Many firms require associates to meet an hours threshold to receive the full bonus. First-year bonuses are usually prorated because associates start in the fall.

Geographic Differences

The market scale applies in major markets: New York, Washington, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Dallas, Houston, and Miami, among others. Some firms pay slightly less in smaller markets.

Summer Associates

Summer associates are generally paid a prorated first-year salary, roughly $4,300 to $4,500 a week at firms paying the market scale.

The Debt Math

Biglaw is often chosen for financial reasons. A rough comparison helps.

Scenario	Approximate first-year base	What it means for $200,000 in loans
Biglaw (market scale)	$235,000	Aggressive repayment can clear loans in roughly three to five years while living modestly
Midsize firm	Often $100,000 to $190,000, depending on market	Repayment over 10 years is typical
Government or public interest	Often $70,000 to $100,000	Public Service Loan Forgiveness may forgive remaining federal loans after 10 years of qualifying payments

These are rough estimates; taxes, living costs, and loan terms vary widely. See our guide to law school loans and PSLF guide.

Hours: What the Job Really Demands

Biglaw associates are salaried, but firms track billable hours closely. Typical expectations range from about 1,900 to 2,200 billable hours a year, and associates in busy practices often bill more.

The Math of Billable Hours

Not every hour at work is billable. Administrative tasks, training, business development, and breaks all count against you. A rough rule of thumb: you'll bill about three hours for every four you work.

Annual billable target	Total hours worked (at 75% efficiency)	Weekly hours over 48 working weeks
1,800	2,400	50
2,000	2,667	56
2,200	2,933	61
2,400	3,200	67

The weekly average hides the real experience: quiet weeks followed by stretches of 80-plus hours during closings, trials, or filings.

Which Practices Are Busiest?

Private equity, M&A, capital markets, and restructuring typically have the most intense peaks. Litigation is more predictable on a weekly basis but has punishing stretches before trials and major filings. Tax, trusts and estates, and some regulatory practices tend to offer steadier schedules.

Corporate vs. Litigation: Choosing a Side

Most Biglaw associates join either a transactional (corporate) group or a litigation group. The choice shapes your daily work, your hours, and your exit options.

	Corporate / transactional	Litigation
What you do	Negotiate and document deals, financings, and fund formations	Represent clients in lawsuits, investigations, arbitrations, and appeals
Junior work	Diligence, drafting ancillary documents, managing checklists	Research, writing, document review, discovery
Schedule	Driven by deal timelines; very intense around signings and closings	Driven by court deadlines; more predictable week to week, intense before trials
Client contact	Often early, especially at firms with lean teams	Usually more limited early on
Exit options	In-house at companies, private equity, investment banks	Government (DOJ, SEC, U.S. Attorney's Offices), in-house litigation roles, boutiques
Good fit if you like	Business problems, negotiation, fast-moving projects	Research, writing, argument, longer-term projects

Within each side, practices vary. Corporate includes M&A, private equity, capital markets, debt finance, investment funds, tax, real estate, and executive compensation. Litigation includes commercial, securities, antitrust, intellectual property, white collar, and appellate work. Many firms let first-year associates try several groups before choosing.

A Year in the Life of a First-Year Associate

Period	What typically happens
Before you start	Bar exam in July; firm onboarding and training materials
September to October	Start date, orientation, training; first assignments, often research or diligence
November to December	Workload increases; year-end deal rush in corporate groups; first prorated bonus
January to March	Steady work; more responsibility on matters you've joined
April to June	Mid-year reviews at many firms; summer associates arrive, and you may supervise them
July to August	Summer associate events; work continues; planning for second year

How Firms Hire Law Students Now

The Old Model

For decades, firms hired through on-campus interviewing (OCI) at the start of 2L year. Students interviewed in August or September, callbacks followed, and offers went out for the summer after 2L.

The Current Model

Recruiting has moved dramatically earlier. Firms now contact students as early as the fall of 1L year, the vast majority of 2L summer offers are made before the end of 1L, and only about 20 percent of offers in the 2025 recruiting cycle came through school-sponsored programs such as OCI (LSAC).

Old timeline	Current timeline
OCI in August or September of 2L	Direct applications in October or November of 1L
Offers based on full 1L grades	Offers often based on first-semester grades
1L summer at a firm was rare	Some firms run short 1L programs for committed students
Most offers through school programs	About 80 percent through direct contact

What this means:

First-semester grades matter enormously.
Start researching firms before law school.
Have a resume and writing sample ready by October of 1L.
Use networking events in the fall of 1L. Firms are evaluating you earlier than you might expect.

How to Compare Biglaw Firms

Pay is similar across the top of the market, so other factors usually decide where you'll be happiest.

Factor	Questions to ask
Practice strength	Is the firm a leader in the practice you want?
Assignment system	Formal assignment, free market, or a mix?
Partnership structure	Single-tier or two-tier? How long to partner?
Office size and culture	How big is your office? How much cross-office work?
Training	Formal training programs, mentoring, and feedback?
Hours expectations	Is there a billable target or bonus threshold? Average hours in your group?
Pro bono	Do pro bono hours count toward targets?
Remote work policy	How many days a week are you expected in the office?
Associate retention	How many associates from recent classes are still there?
Exit support	Does the firm help departing associates find in-house and government roles?

Use firm profiles such as Kirkland & Ellis, Wachtell Lipton, Williams & Connolly, and Orrick to compare how firms differ on these points.

Career Paths in Biglaw

Associate Years

Years	Typical role
1 to 2	Research, drafting, diligence, document review, closing checklists
3 to 5	Running workstreams, drafting key documents, supervising juniors, client contact
6 to 8	Managing deals or cases day to day, leading negotiations, partner candidacy

Partnership

Firms use different partnership structures:

Single-tier (equity) partnership: All partners share in profits. Common at traditional New York firms.
Two-tier partnership: Firms such as Kirkland & Ellis promote associates first to nonshare (income) partner, with a selective path to equity.

Partnership typically comes after 8 to 10 years at single-tier firms. Only a small share of each starting associate class makes partner.

Attrition and Exit Options

Biglaw's pyramid structure means most associates leave within a few years. Leaving is normal and often planned. Common exits:

Exit	Typical timing
In-house at a company or former client	3 to 6 years
Government (DOJ, SEC, U.S. Attorney's Office)	3 to 6 years
Smaller or boutique firm	Any time
Lateral move to another large firm	2 to 5 years
Judicial clerkship	Before or after a year or two of practice
Business, finance, or startups	3 to 7 years
Public interest or academia	Varies

How AI Is Changing Junior Work

Large firms are rapidly adopting generative AI tools for research, document review, drafting, and diligence. Some firms now train all lawyers on AI tools and have hired executives to manage the shift (Reuters). For students, that likely means:

Less time on the most routine document review and first-pass research
More emphasis on judgment, verification, and client-ready work earlier
New expectations to use firm-approved AI tools responsibly and confidentially

Ask firms how they train juniors on AI and how they're changing the work new associates do.

Is Biglaw Right for You?

Reasons Students Choose Biglaw

Debt repayment: a $235,000 salary can pay down large loans quickly.
Training: large firms offer structured training and exposure to complex work.
Optionality: Biglaw experience opens doors to in-house, government, and other firms.
Prestige and peer group.

Reasons to Think Twice

Hours and unpredictability.
Limited control over your work early on.
High attrition. Most associates won't stay long-term.
Narrow specialization in some practices.

A Self-Assessment

Question	If you answer yes...
Do you have significant law school debt?	Biglaw is often the fastest repayment path
Do you want to work in a major city?	Most Biglaw jobs are in large markets
Can you handle sustained high pressure?	You'll likely do well in the busiest practices
Do you want predictable hours?	Consider government, in-house, or steadier practices
Are you committed to public interest work?	Consider loan repayment assistance and PSLF instead; see our PSLF guide

BigLaw Glossary

Term	Meaning
Am Law 100 / 200	The American Lawyer's annual rankings of the largest U.S. firms by revenue
Lockstep	A pay system where associates in the same class year earn the same base salary
Class year	Your year of seniority, usually based on law school graduation year
Billable hour	Time charged to a client, usually recorded in six-minute increments
Billable target	The number of billable hours the firm expects each year
Bonus threshold	The hours an associate must bill to qualify for a full bonus
Summer associate	A law student working at a firm for the summer, usually after 2L
Callback	A second-round interview, usually at the firm's office
OCI	On-campus interviewing, the traditional school-run recruiting program
Equity partner	A partner who shares in firm profits
Nonshare or income partner	A partner who receives salary and bonus but doesn't own equity
PEP	Profits per equity partner, a common measure of firm profitability
RPL	Revenue per lawyer
Lateral	A lawyer who moves from one firm to another
Staffing	How lawyers are assigned to matters
Leverage	The ratio of associates to partners

Also see: Biglaw and Relationships and The 5 Top Legal Internships.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Biglaw Starting Salary in 2026?

Milbank set a top-of-market first-year base salary of $235,000, effective July 1, 2026. Cravath's published scale remained at $225,000 for first-years, and many firms had not yet matched the new scale as of early October 2026.

How Many Hours Do Biglaw Associates Work?

Typical billable expectations range from about 1,900 to 2,200 hours a year. Because not every hour is billable, that often means 55 to 65 hours a week on average, with much heavier peaks.

When Do Biglaw Firms Hire Law Students?

Large firms now recruit during the fall and winter of 1L year for 2L summer associate positions. Most offers are made before the end of 1L, often based on first-semester grades.

What Percentage of Biglaw Associates Make Partner?

Only a small share of each starting class becomes partner. Most associates leave within a few years for in-house, government, or other firms.

What's the Difference between the Cravath Scale and the Milbank Scale?

Both are lockstep associate salary scales. Cravath historically set the market, but in June 2026 Milbank raised base pay to $235,000 for first-years and $455,000 for eighth-years, while Cravath's published scale stayed at $225,000 to $420,000.

Is Biglaw Worth It?

It depends on your debt, career goals, and tolerance for long hours. Biglaw offers high pay, strong training, and broad exit options, but most associates leave within a few years.

Sources

Sartori, Cravath Scale 2026, BigLaw Salary Scale 2026, Los Angeles salary table, and 2026 Profits Per Partner Table
Larson Maddox, Big Law Salary Scale 2026
LawFuel, BigLaw Made Record Money and Still Has Not Paid the $235K Scale
Law.com, Kirkland Reaches $10.5B in Revenue
LSAC, History of Big Law Recruitment Timelines
Reuters, Orrick adds new executives as AI changes law firm operations