Lawyer Pay

London Partners to Associates: At $125K, We’re Paying You Too Much

Although last year was particularly profitable for many major London law firms, corresponding raises for associate-level attorneys aren’t on the radar screen. In fact, while some magic circle firms may up the ante at least a little this year, some partners are complaining that junior lawyers already are overpaid, reports…

Apr 24, 2008 6:13 PM CDT

Pay Cut Prompted a Shearman Office in Mannheim, Germany, to Jump Ship

An across-the-board pay cut estimated at about 10 to 15 percent for all nine partners at Shearman & Sterling’s outpost in Mannheim, Germany, is reportedly what prompted the 30-lawyer office’s recent decision to abandon the mother ship and strike out again on its own. The pay cut, approved last month…

Apr 24, 2008 5:20 PM CDT

Diversity Manager Hiring Rises, But Are They Effective?

Corrected: Last year, 50 percent of law firms had designated diversity managers, and according to a new Altman Weil survey, that number has risen to nearly 60 percent. All 80 firms surveyed now have diversity committees as well. “This year, for the first time, more than half of law firms…

Apr 24, 2008 4:28 PM CDT

N.Y. Schools Lawyer-Pay Probe Expands to All Professionals in Gov’t Work

An ever-expanding state probe by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo of possible pension irregularities now extends far beyond lawyers in private practice who worked for the state’s 700-plus school districts. It now potentially encompasses, seemingly, virtually every professional who has worked for a state agency, and may also involve…

Apr 15, 2008 6:37 PM CDT

Big Salaries May Await Top Government Lawyers

High-profile lawyers exiting the government could command salaries as high as $2 million or $3 million. That could be the take for top lawyers such as Solicitor General Paul Clement and Thomas Barnett, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Legal Times reports. Law firms snagging the big-name…

Apr 10, 2008 2:25 PM CDT

Many Attorneys Struggle Financially, as Paychecks Fatten for a Few

Jeanne Wrenn loves her job as an assistant Cook County prosecutor in Chicago. But she isn’t as thrilled about her $59,000 salary. A single mother seven years out of law school, which she borrowed $100,000 to attend, the 36-year-old Wrenn has a part-time job as a bartender to help make…

Apr 8, 2008 7:23 PM CDT

Top Associate Pay Skyrockets 50% at Law Firms in India

Associate attorneys at major law firms in India are still paid far less than their American and British counterparts. But competition among international firms for top talent has sent their salaries shooting up by more than 50 percent in the past year. “Indian law school graduates can now earn around…

Apr 8, 2008 3:36 PM CDT

Calif. Bar Prez Says Billable Hour System ‘Corrupting’ to the Profession

A common lawyer lament concerns the problem of billable hours. Lawyers at large law firms often complain of the toll exacted by heavy workloads driven by the pressure to bill more hours. Now the president of the State Bar of California is citing another reason to put an end to…

Apr 4, 2008 3:07 PM CDT

How an Influential Private Lawyer Got a $107K State Pension

An influential New York lawyer who worked as a private contract employee for six governmental entities was given 21 years’ retroactive credit in the state pension system, enabling him to collect an annual pension of almost $107,000, Newsday reports. Lawyer Albert D’Agostino received retroactive credit in 2000 for 28 years…

Apr 3, 2008 6:53 PM CDT

Jurors Laud Sonnenschein Defense, Give Ex-Partner a Mixed Verdict

A former partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal had sought $8.2 million in his lawsuit against the firm, but he’s getting far less than that. Two jurors said they found ex-partner Douglas Rosenthal was underpaid by more than $500,000 even though Sonnenschein had better lawyers in the case, Legal Times…

Mar 31, 2008 11:25 AM CDT

In-House Jobs Not So Cushy or Exciting, Says Veteran Lawyer

If you think a jump from a law firm to an in-house position is the ticket to a cushy, stress-free job, think again. The life of an in-house lawyer is not exactly a bed of roses. That’s the assessment of Gloria Noh Cannon, a former in-house lawyer who is now…

Mar 27, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Move Over AmLaw 100, Here’s the Lawyer’s Spin on the Top 50

In a reinvention of the AmLaw 100, a United Kingdom legal publication has compiled a list of the top 50 U.S. law firms based on revenue. Atop the list is DLA Piper, followed by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Latham & Watkins; Baker & McKenzie; and Sidley Austin. Together,…

Mar 25, 2008 7:45 PM CDT

Wachtell Partners Make By Far the Most: $4.48M, on Average

Updated: Despite all the hoopla over megafirms’ megaprofits in 2007, the three law firms that for the first time topped $2 billion in gross revenue weren’t where the real money was being made. Once again, profits per equity partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz were breathtaking—$4.48 million. The just-over-200-lawyer…

Mar 24, 2008 5:43 PM CDT

Sonnenschein Partner Pay Policy Examined at Trial

A former partner who claims Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal owes him $8.5 million testified last week that the firm took him off a huge contingency case and didn’t compensate him properly when it resulted in a huge settlement. The case had sought damages from Libya on behalf of victims killed…

Mar 19, 2008 12:06 PM CDT

Now in Demand, New Lawyers in India Get Higher Salary Offers

The marketplace may help boost the salaries of fledgling lawyers from India, who are increasingly in demand, to do routine legal work for American law firms and companies because of their low costs. About 100 legal process outsourcing companies employ Indian lawyers, offering their services abroad at bargain prices, the…

Mar 14, 2008 1:37 PM CDT