ABA Journal

Lawyer Pay

1318 ABA Journal Lawyer Pay articles.

This BigLaw firm may be the first to announce special bonuses this summer; will it be the last?

Littler Mendelson has announced special bonuses for some lawyers, making it possibly the first BigLaw firm to offer bonus cash this summer, according to a report by Above the Law.

Pay for 2021 law grads is at all-time high as percentage of BigLaw jobs increases, NALP says

Law graduates from the class of 2021 are enjoying record high salaries and record high employment in jobs for which bar passage is required or anticipated, according to figures released Thursday by the National Association for Law Placement

Only half of class of 2018 law grads practice in law firms, NALP report finds

Ninety-seven percent of surveyed law graduates from the class of 2018 were employed, but only 51% were working in law firms, according to a joint study by the National Association for Law Placement and the NALP Foundation.

Some associates not meeting ‘utilization expectations’ get pay cuts at this law firm

Associates at Steptoe & Johnson who aren’t meeting “utilization expectations” will be getting prorated pay cuts through the end of 2022.

How much do new public interest lawyers earn? Despite raises, pay is well below that of law firms, NALP says

Median salaries are growing for lawyers working in civil legal services and public interest organizations, but there are still “sobering distinctions” when compared to law firm pay, according to the National Association for Law Placement.

The gap between the highest- and lowest-paid BigLaw partners is expanding

Law firms seeking to hold on to top lawyers appear willing to pay higher amounts that increase the gap between their highest- and lowest-paid equity partners.

Lawyer David Boies bills $1,950 per hour, court filing says

A court filing seeking legal fees in privacy litigation against Google indicates that one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers—David Boies—is making $1,950 per hour.

BigLaw partner’s hourly billing rate of nearly $2,500 draws objection from bankruptcy trustee

A U.S. bankruptcy trustee is objecting to the hiring of a Hogan Lovells partner who would charge nearly $2,500 per hour to handle appeals in the Chapter 11 case of a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary.

Law firm profitability ‘dropped markedly’ in first quarter amid 12% hike in associate compensation

Law firm profitability decreased in the first quarter of the year, as direct expenses increased 13.1% and overhead increased 9.9% from the same period last year, according to the Thomson Reuters Law Firm Financial Index.

Panel attorneys who represent children, indigent adults in New York courts flee low pay

Panel attorneys who represent children and indigent adults in New York family and criminal courts haven’t had a fee hike in almost two decades.

What factors drive attorney turnover? Compensation isn’t the only issue, new report says

Compensation may be the proximate cause that entices associates to leave their law firms, but “the root cause may run deeper,” according to a report released Thursday.

With some partners earning as much as $20M, older lawyers may consider retirement

A surge in law firm profits may be spurring some law firm partners to consider retirement. Some partners at large law firms are earning eight figures. At one BigLaw firm, some partners earned $20 million last year.

Surpassed as associate pay leader, Davis Polk matches Cravath as other firms join in

For nearly a week and a half, Davis Polk & Wardwell set the scale for associate pay when it announced that it was paying $215,000 to $396,500 to associates.

After Davis Polk sets new bar for associate raises, Cravath ups the ante

Updated: All eyes were on Cravath, Swaine & Moore after Davis Polk & Wardwell announced associate raises last week that set a new, higher standard.

Davis Polk finally announces its associate pay scale; ‘this is not a Milbank match’

Updated: Davis Polk & Wardwell has finally announced its new associate pay scale, and it is more generous than the standard set by Milbank last month, at least for more experienced associates.

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