Alston & Bird Hikes Associate Pay
An Atlanta law firm has announced it is raising pay for first-year associates to $145,000, a $15,000 increase.
But not all associates will share in the largesse.
Alston & Bird announced the pay hike yesterday, according to the Fulton County Daily Report. Jonathan Lowe, the firm’s hiring partner, pointed out that some Atlanta firms already have starting salaries above Alston’s current level of $130,000. Hunton & Williams pays new associates $145,000; DLA Piper and Jones Day pay $135,000.
“The market is speaking to us,” Lowe said.
Some more senior associates at the firm are also speaking, on a blog called Above the Law. They complained of pay compression at higher associate levels and said their raises don’t match the increase for new hires, according to the Fulton County Daily Report story. One senior associate complained about getting only a $5,000 raise.
