LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS Forum

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Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Feb 25, 2019 4:12 am

Salary: 80K + bonus
Location: Midwest
Position: Litigation Associate
Experience: 1/2 years
Hours: 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Benefits: Free health/dental/vision insurance, HSA stipend, 401K matching (all estimated to be around 15K)

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Mar 22, 2019 7:53 pm

Salary: 104K + bonus
Location: Southeast
Position: L&E Associate
Experience: 1st year associate, clerkship prior
Hours: 1950
Benefits: health/dental/vision, 401K matching up to 3%, gym reimbursement, phone, cle and bar dues

objctnyrhnr

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by objctnyrhnr » Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:19 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Salary: 104K + bonus
Location: Southeast
Position: L&E Associate
Experience: 1st year associate, clerkship prior
Hours: 1950
Benefits: health/dental/vision, 401K matching up to 3%, gym reimbursement, phone, cle and bar dues
What type of clerkship? Amlaw 100 firm? 200? Those billables suggest one thing but that salary suggests another.

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Mar 23, 2019 11:41 am

Size: Small Firm
Salary: 80k + No bonus potential
Location: Southeast
Position: L&E Associate
Experience: 1st year associate
Hours: 1920
Other Compensation: Healthcare, 13 days PTO

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Mar 23, 2019 12:02 pm

objctnyrhnr wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Salary: 104K + bonus
Location: Southeast
Position: L&E Associate
Experience: 1st year associate, clerkship prior
Hours: 1950
Benefits: health/dental/vision, 401K matching up to 3%, gym reimbursement, phone, cle and bar dues
What type of clerkship? Amlaw 100 firm? 200? Those billables suggest one thing but that salary suggests another.
State appellate clerkship. It's midlaw, around 200 attorneys. I think technically 1800 is the minimum but the bonuses begin at 1950 and increase incrementally. Honestly I'm not familiar with biglaw or midlaw. I always thought I'd end up at a small firm so I don't know much about what's normal.

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Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 27, 2019 10:48 am

Salary: 100k + bonus and a percentage for origination
Experience: 4-5 years
Practice Area: Real estate
Hours- generally 8:30am- 7pm
Benefits: health ins., I can basically come and go as I please; firm will pay for any business development lunches, CLEs, etc.

Anonymous User
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Re: How much does region affect salary?

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Mar 27, 2019 11:14 am

I work in the St. Louis market - 1 year post graduation

My first job was plaintiff side / MDL / mass torts - small firm but with massive judgments - base was $85K, 100% medical, and year end bonus

I just went in-house in the same market - $110K base, high deductible medical, 15% target year end bonus

Neither position required billable hours

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 12, 2019 7:04 pm

Since there isn't a lot of data points for biglaw counsel on this thread, I thought I would add mine.

Size: Biglaw, v50 firm
Experience: 9th year
Location: TX
Practice Area: Tax
Position: Counsel (equivalent of non-equity partner at my firm)
Hours: 2200-2400
Comp: $561,250 (comprised of (1) $375,000 base salary, plus (2) $175,000 bonus, plus (3) $11,250 employer contribution to 401(k) plan.

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 22, 2019 8:59 am

Big 4 Tax Advisory International Tax. NY
125+10
NYU/GT Tax LLM
No full time experience other than summers
Effectively K-JD-Tax LLM with a couple gap years spent traveling between BA and JD

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Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 26, 2019 1:01 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Since there isn't a lot of data points for biglaw counsel on this thread, I thought I would add mine.

Size: Biglaw, v50 firm
Experience: 9th year
Location: TX
Practice Area: Tax
Position: Counsel (equivalent of non-equity partner at my firm)
Hours: 2200-2400
Comp: $561,250 (comprised of (1) $375,000 base salary, plus (2) $175,000 bonus, plus (3) $11,250 employer contribution to 401(k) plan.
This is incredibly helpful content for those of us in years 6-8 thinking about next steps. Would you say that your salary/bonus are normal for your year, or somewhat high relative to your peers? And do you have any idea what your salary and bonus progression looks like going forward -- normal increases or relatively stable to what you make now? Thanks!

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Wed May 01, 2019 10:41 am

2015 grad
federal government
salary: $100,530 (grade 13, step 5, "rest of the U.S." locality); 5% employer match to TSP (401k equivalent), 4.4% payroll deduction for crappy pension
40 hours a week unless something really serious happens, then until things are done
4 weeks vacation, 10 holidays, 13 sick days
7 more years of monthly loan payments (currently $550/month) until PSLF
low-cost of living (and not very desirable) area

Feeling pretty good, especially hitting that psychologically important $100k barrier. Neither of my parents graduated college, I spent most of my childhood living on food stamps, and never made any money in my 20's. Now doing mostly interesting work for a cause I believe in, in a low-stress and friendly environment. Now feeling for the first time that law school was definitely a good idea.

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Wed May 01, 2019 10:55 am

Size: Midlaw under 300 attorneys
Location: TX
Experience: 1/2 year
Practice: Litigation
Hours: On track for 2050 (generally 8:30-6:00pm and 4-8 hours weekend work)
Compensation: $165,000 plus non-biglaw bonus
Benefits: Health/vision/dental, 3% 401k match, gym, HSA stipend

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Mon May 06, 2019 5:02 pm

Industry: Compliance at private fund
Size: Team of 8
Details: 4 years experience, hours are mostly 8:15-6:15 and limited work on weekends and nights. Hours increase with seniority and expectation is that you will be available at odd hours if needed (e.g. 2:30 am to deal with Euro issues)
140k base, 30k bonus, 5% match to 401k, 20 days vacation, plus sick and personal
Years 1-2 at a bank I got crap compensation
Got a 25% increase to join the fund
Got a 12% increase for promotion

I’m now likely underpaid for my level and experience. I’ve talked to recruiters and asked for 170k base which has seemed standard.

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Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Sat May 18, 2019 12:31 pm

Size: Boutique/PI tilt
Location: NYC
Experience: Class of 2017 (lateraled after about 1.5 years in biglaw)
Practice: Litigation
Hours: Started recently; we track time but no strict hours requirement. I figure associates work around 2000-2200 (generally 9:00AM-6:30pm and 4-8 hours weekend work)
Compensation: $140,000, signing bonus (special case I guess, I negotiated it via recruiter), and year-end bonus (variable based on firm's performance that year, can range from below market to 2x, 3x market). I think 10K salary increments lock-step until you make junior partner, after which things are less clear to me.
Benefits: Health is fully covered if you select HDHP, Vision/Dental full coverage, cell phone bill fully covered, HSA contribution, pre-tax dollars for commuter/parking).

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CardozoLaw09

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by CardozoLaw09 » Sat May 18, 2019 3:43 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Industry: Compliance at private fund
Size: Team of 8
Details: 4 years experience, hours are mostly 8:15-6:15 and limited work on weekends and nights. Hours increase with seniority and expectation is that you will be available at odd hours if needed (e.g. 2:30 am to deal with Euro issues)
140k base, 30k bonus, 5% match to 401k, 20 days vacation, plus sick and personal
Years 1-2 at a bank I got crap compensation
Got a 25% increase to join the fund
Got a 12% increase for promotion

I’m now likely underpaid for my level and experience. I’ve talked to recruiters and asked for 170k base which has seemed standard.
Hi, can you PM me, please? Thanks.

1styearlateral

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by 1styearlateral » Mon Jun 10, 2019 6:59 pm

Industry: Real Estate
Size: ~100; Legal Department is 2
Details: 4 years experience, hours are mostly 10-7/8/9 and limited work on weekends and nights. Hours really depend on deal flow.
~150k base, equity, bonus TBD (discretionary), unlimited vacation/sick/personal

Spent about 2 years each at different firms.

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Jun 10, 2019 7:28 pm

Federal Government (Non-GS agency)
2012 grad
West Coast
Salary: 180,000+10k student loan repayment+small bonus around 2-5k (pay scale tops out at around 260k)
Benefits: 8% TSP match, small pension with 0.8% payroll deduction, Healthcare for very cheap (subsidized in additional to normal fed gov subsidy), free vision and dental, transit subsidy, bar dues paid, misc. benefits like highly subsidized life insurance.
Hours: 40 per week most weeks, 50 rarely

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Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jul 06, 2019 4:51 pm

State of California
2017 grad
Salary: $67,000 (this is the statewide salary regardless of whether in SF, LA, or Sac)
Benefits: Paid bar dues, a pension that is about a 10% payroll deduction but will be 20% less at 62 than the older employees get at 55. No paid maternity leave. 2/3 of insurance paid for.

Only there to get the training in my specialized field, otherwise I would not suggest working for the State of CA to any attorney.

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Jul 09, 2019 4:26 pm

Anonymous User wrote:State of California
2017 grad
Salary: $67,000 (this is the statewide salary regardless of whether in SF, LA, or Sac)
Benefits: Paid bar dues, a pension that is about a 10% payroll deduction but will be 20% less at 62 than the older employees get at 55. No paid maternity leave. 2/3 of insurance paid for.

Only there to get the training in my specialized field, otherwise I would not suggest working for the State of CA to any attorney.
I am in the exact same position as you, living in Sacramento. Don't get into state service if you are in it for the money. Get into it if you want a low stress 9-5 with no weekend work and no work on vacations. That being said, it would be really tough to stretch $67k in SF or LA

Our compensation is generally the price we pay for the work-life balance

Also, for what it is worth, next year once you bump up to Attorney I C, you get a $11k raise. Not much difference in average happiness past 75k...

unilateral_stare

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by unilateral_stare » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:07 pm

Does anyone know how much do federal (not state) public defenders generally make in big markets?

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jul 26, 2019 11:33 am

Commercial Lit. Boutique (less than 15 lawyers):

3rd year associate.

Comp: $200k+ (bonus based on firm profitability)

Benefits: health care, HSA, and tax advantaged accounts, etc.

Hours: average is 2400-2500, but that's a little deceptive. Trial months are always 300 hour months, then I go take a week or two off. It's a lot of all nighters and 80-90 hour weeks and then a vacation. Probably will end up taking 6-8 weeks of vacation this year total.

Quality of life: I happen to really love trying cases, so that part of the job, while challenging, is a lot of fun and very rewarding. But I'd be lying if i said it wasn't difficult on my personal relationships. It's definitely a sacrifice on my wife's part to support me through it and keep our home running while i'm working all hours of the night (often in other states or cities) getting ready for trial. I think she would definitely prefer it if I had a normal 9-5 or even 8-6pm. The good part is when there's not a trial on deck, my schedule is very reasonable (like 10am to 6:30pm), and I can often work from home. Personally, it works for me and I like the flexibility that comes with the feast-famine cycle of trial work better than a steady grind, so no complaints.

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 12, 2019 3:28 pm

Size: State Government Agency
Salary: $95k, with $6-7k raises each year
Location: North East
Position: Staff Attorney
Experience: 2017 Graduate
Hours: No Billables, 9-5
Other Compensation: Pension, 457 Plan, 45 Days of PTO

Anonymous User
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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Aug 12, 2019 4:05 pm

Size: mid sized Law Firm (~150 attorneys)
Salary: 115K
Location: North East (Not NYC but close enough)
Position: Litigation Associate
Hours: 1800 billables
Graduated from a TTT below median and did a state trial court clerkship beforehand

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Flyygal » Sun Aug 18, 2019 9:13 pm

Size: national law firm (~700 attorneys )
Salary: 85k
Location: Atlanta
Position: Staff attorney
Hours: no billable usually 8:30-8:00
1st year of practice

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Re: LEGAL SALARY DATAPOINTS

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Aug 24, 2019 9:27 pm

Size: Investment Fund
Experience: 2017 grad
Location: Midwest
Practice area: Private Equity
Position: Associate (non-legal)
Hours: 35-80 depending on week, don’t work weekends
Comp: 120 + (50-150% of salary bonus), 3750 401k match, fully paid insurance + 2400 spend, don’t pay for lunch, 25+ days of PTO on top of vacation, no fee co-invest rights

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