Is the pay difference worth it? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Background: midlevel associate in a niche practice. Work in the southeast for a non-Cravath scale firm. No real ties to the area or anything. Current pay is ~180k with around 30k bonus. I enjoy the work I do and have more flexibility with hours (some weeks I can not be staffed on deals and leave around 5). The pay is significantly less than an offer I just received from a v20 in CA (market for 5th year).

I’ve lived in CA, but still no ties. I’m not under the illusion that the hours will be the same. The firm doesn’t have a minimum but I’ve heard that the associates all easily surpass 2000 billables.

Is the pay difference worth the extra stress when there is no real reason I want to be in CA except for the ~ 80-100k pay difference?

My firm has a lot of burnt out v10 people and they said they couldn’t handle it, so that makes me worry.

But a lot of you seem to be able to stay In the race, so I thought I’d ask.

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

[shock259]

Outside of the next year or two, what are your end goals here? Do you want to make partner? Are you just trying to bank as much as possible until you burn out? What are the partnership prospects at your current firm? Do you have a sense of what the prospects might be at the current firm? Do you know your tolerance for 2000+ hour years?

Some more context will be useful, but overall I would be hesitant. $180k and leaving at 5pm and not hating your job is pretty remarkable.

[Anonymous User]

Do you have any other goals/priorities outside of money? Have you ever worked in a true biglaw firm with biglaw hours? If you've never experienced all-nighters or getting hit up right before a holiday weekend to turn docs all weekend to close a deal it could be a big slap in the face if you're accustomed to a 9 to 5.

After 4.5 yrs of biglaw, I never once thought it was worth the money - I like my life too much and it basically ate up nearly all of my waking hours (and a lot of my sleeping hours). My relationships suffered and I wasn't a very happy person (although some people are built for it and make it work - I'm just not one of those people). I did, however, think it was definitely worth the training/experience/getting those v10s on my resume so I could land a cushy in-house job. I'm very grateful for my time in biglaw but I would never ever go back for money.

I think this just comes down to your personal priorities. Are you getting good experience where you are? Do you feel you're on-track to achieve what you want? Do you have debt that you're desperately trying to pay off?

I'll note I was in NYC so my biglaw experience may vary from CA biglaw which I've head is more laid back.

[Anonymous User]

Threads like this reassure me that unicorn jobs DO exist...

[deepseapartners]

I think this is a pretty personal question but for what it’s worth, if I were in a lower COL area making 210 all-in and billing less than 1800 hours a year, I would have a hard time leaving that job (assuming you are still happy with your career prospects at your firm).

[Anonymous User]

OP here. More information for clarification:

My firm is considered biglaw by all definitions (v100, AmLaw 100, etc.). When I was a first year, I had many late nights and they sucked. I was lucky to be put into a different group after a year that does some deal/compliance work. When I’m doing compliance, I can control my schedule for the most part. When I’m on deals, I still have the occasional 2 am nights (maybe once or twice a month, with more 7 pm nights).

I like it here and the people I work with. The group I’m in doesn’t look like it’ll be promoting anyone to partner for a while, which is why I’m considering leaving now while I’m still fairly desirable.

Do I think I will make partner at the new firm? Probably not. But I guess I’m just wondering if the pay difference is large enough to leave what many would consider a “good thing.”

There is always a chance that a partner leaves or the group expands, but I feel like maybe being at a “better” firm for a few years will expand my exit options.

[Anonymous User]

I did the opposite of you. Worked at a NYC V10, then a NYC V100 and made my way to a V100 in the south just recently. Honestly, I could never go back to that life. Down here, even when I'm billing 225+ hours, I'm home by 730, rarely up past midnight and people are just more normal. It feels more like a normal job down here.

I'm sure CA is better than NYC, but I doubt the intensity is much less. Also, you'd have to take the CA bar, which is a total bitch and the money is definitely not worth it. Honestly, I'm not sure how 180K in the south isn't better than 300K in CA.

[20181989]

Bear in mind that, given your tax bracket, you're actually talking on the order of a 40-50k difference post-tax disposable.

[Anonymous User]

I did the opposite of you. Worked at a NYC V10, then a NYC V100 and made my way to a V100 in the south just recently. Honestly, I could never go back to that life. Down here, even when I'm billing 225+ hours, I'm home by 730, rarely up past midnight and people are just more normal. It feels more like a normal job down here.

I'm sure CA is better than NYC, but I doubt the intensity is much less. Also, you'd have to take the CA bar, which is a total bitch and the money is definitely not worth it. Honestly, I'm not sure how 180K in the south isn't better than 300K in CA.

You’re probably still getting paid market, though. If I was getting paid close to market, this would be less of an issue.

I know after tax and everything the difference isn’t that much, but it just seems like so much more.

[RaceJudicata]

I did the opposite of you. Worked at a NYC V10, then a NYC V100 and made my way to a V100 in the south just recently. Honestly, I could never go back to that life. Down here, even when I'm billing 225+ hours, I'm home by 730, rarely up past midnight and people are just more normal. It feels more like a normal job down here.

I'm sure CA is better than NYC, but I doubt the intensity is much less. Also, you'd have to take the CA bar, which is a total bitch and the money is definitely not worth it. Honestly, I'm not sure how 180K in the south isn't better than 300K in CA.

You’re probably still getting paid market, though. If I was getting paid close to market, this would be less of an issue.

I know after tax and everything the difference isn’t that much, but it just seems like so much more.

After added cost of living (not just housing); I bet you make 15-20k more. No way it’s worth it.