Lawyer Pay

Average Pay is Up for In-House Lawyers, as Their Numbers Dwindle

In-house lawyers make an average of $236,000 in pay and bonuses, up from $226,000, according to a new survey of 223 larger companies. But the pay increase comes at a time when in-house staffing is softening. The average cash compensation, including bonuses, amounts to about $700,000 for general counsel and…

Sep 30, 2008 4:32 PM CDT

As Economy Stalls, So Do Salaries ... But Not Associate Hours

Forget about associate pay raises. In this economy, the attorney infantry at BigLaw firms should be bracing for a potential increase on a different front: their expected billable hours. Right now, Williams & Connolly remains the highest-paying Washington, D.C., law firm, as far as first-year associates are concerning, with a…

Sep 29, 2008 6:52 PM CDT

Lawyer with $150K in Student Loans Asks Suze Orman for Advice

A lawyer saddled with $150,000 in student debt has written to financial guru Suze Orman for advice. The anonymous writer tells of a “dire” financial situation caused by the pursuit of a law degree and a graduate degree in public policy. He or she has $150,000 in debt at 4…

Sep 22, 2008 2:56 PM CDT

Low-Paid PDs and Prosecutors Try Moonlighting

Public defenders and prosecutors struggling to pay off high student debt are increasingly turning to side jobs to make ends meet. The National Law Journal reports on the trend, finding that lawyers are not sticking only with traditional moonlighting jobs such as doing wills on the side or teaching law…

Sep 19, 2008 2:14 PM CDT

Median Starting Pay for Legal Services Lawyers is $40K, Survey Says

Median starting pay for legal services and public interest lawyers is only a fourth of the highly touted $160,000 that big firm associates make, according to a new study. Median starting pay for lawyers is $40,000 in legal services and $41,000 at public interest groups with issue-driven missions, according to…

Sep 18, 2008 12:33 PM CDT

Most Big Calif. Firms Pay Associates $160K to $265K in Lockstep

Most California law firms responding to a new poll by the Recorder pay their associates lockstep compensation that begins at $160,000. The “vast majority” of the 17 law firms that responded to the survey (PDF) increased pay to $210,000 for fourth-year associates and $265,000 for seventh years, the Recorder story…

Sep 10, 2008 4:26 PM CDT

Being a Lawyer and Male Makes You a Top Earner, Census Report Shows

The highest earners in 2007 were men in legal occupations, who earned a median salary in 2007 of $105,233, according to a Census Bureau report. The online report (PDF) issued in August shows women in legal occupations, which includes paralegal as well as lawyer positions, didn’t fare as well. Their…

Sep 10, 2008 11:57 AM CDT

Meet Shelley Smith, a City Solicitor With 200 Pairs of Shoes

It’s not easy being in the shoes of Shelley Smith, who has served as Philadelphia’s city solicitor for the past eight months. For one thing, they’re size 11, and she’s got 200 pairs—50 of them ready for action in a closet in her municipal office. For another, she’s got a…

Sep 2, 2008 7:22 PM CDT

Two N.Y. Lawyers Get Pension Tabs: $84K and $600K

Updated: The New York lawyer whose multiple employment sparked a statewide pension probe has been ordered to repay nearly $84,000 in benefits. Meanwhile, another New York lawyer has been told he owes a much bigger tab of more than $600,000. However, a judge’s ruling has cast doubt on whether they…

Aug 27, 2008 1:43 PM CDT

WolfBlock to New 1st-Years: We’ll See You in November

Faced with a business slowdown, Philadelphia-based WolfBlock has told its incoming first-year class to take a vacation. “The firm said all but one of eight recent law school graduates were told not to report for work until Nov. 10 rather than the normal start date shortly after Labor Day,” reports…

Aug 26, 2008 7:27 PM CDT

Axing Associates Now Could Mean Problems Later, Expert Says

In a struggling economy, reduced levels of legal work and rising costs tempt law firm partners to cut associates. But the money they save by doing so now may result in associate salary increases later, if history repeats itself. In 2002 and 2003, the number of associates employed by the…

Aug 22, 2008 10:46 PM CDT

Will 2008 Be Law Firms’ Worst Year Since Early 1990s?

Fasten your seat belts. A difficult economy has cut partner profits and associate attrition, while increasing expenses for major U.S. law firms, creating “a dramatically different economic environment from the previous seven years,” an expert says. Law firm revenue in the U.S. is growing at the slowest pace since at…

Aug 20, 2008 8:50 PM CDT

Baker & McKenzie Breaks $2B; Firm’s Revenue Rises 20%

Despite the struggling U.S. economy, Baker & McKenzie has had a banner year. For the fiscal year that ended in June, it booked total global revenue of $2.19 billion, breaking the $2 billion—and the 1 billion pound—barrier for the first time. Last year, the megafirm, which got its start in…

Aug 14, 2008 4:21 PM CDT

Jurors Told That Law Firm Cut Associate’s Pay Due to Pregnancy

At a trial beginning this week, an associate is airing a claim that her Garden City, N.Y., law firm discriminated against her by cutting her pay while she was pregnant. The associate, Jacquelyn Todaro, said her law firm, Siegel Fenchel & Peddy, cut her pay in 2002 from more than…

Aug 13, 2008 12:12 PM CDT

Associates Happiest With Wachtell Pay, Which is on the Hefty Side

Midlevel associates are most satisfied with their compensation at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which paid huge bonuses last winter ranging from $175,000 to $215,000. That compares to median New York bonuses of $55,000 to $80,000. Midlevel associates at the firm, asked to rate their satisfaction with compensation on a…

Aug 6, 2008 12:59 PM CDT