Lawyer Pay
CA Associates Look to Bonuses as Pay Holds Firm
Some California associates are hoping that New York law firms will raise annual starting pay to $200,000, leading to another round of salary wars.
But many observers say a cooling economy is likely to keep new associate pay at the big California firms at $160,000, the Recorder reports.
In view of unlikely pay hikes, associates are now focusing on bonus structures. Some firms will pay as much as $50,000 in bonuses. Others pay less or hand out bonuses based on a “touchy-feely” assessment of associate contributions.
The Recorder has published a salary chart that also shows bonus ranges and billable-hour requirements at the West Coast firms.
