Lawyer Pay
Is that this the yr for affiliate raises?
July 10, 2025, 2:58 pm CDT
Legislation agency associates hoping for a bump within the wage scale this yr might should preserve ready. (Picture from Shutterstock)
Legislation agency associates hoping for a bump within the wage scale this yr might should preserve ready, in accordance with a recruiter who spoke with Bloomberg Legislation.
Ru Bhatt, a recruiter with authorized recruiting agency Main Lindsey & Africa, doesn’t assume that there will probably be raises to base pay this yr. However the outlook isn’t all unhealthy—larger annual bonuses might nonetheless be on the desk at high corporations, Bhatt informed Bloomberg Legislation.
“It’s as much as these companions to resolve: Am I keen to forgo a few of my comp to maintain associates glad or to draw the proper varieties of associates?” Bhatt mentioned.
The present wage scale for associates at many massive corporations ranges from $225,000 to $435,000 after the final raises to base pay introduced in 2023.
However not everybody in BigLaw is getting that quantity. The corporations paying the charges introduced in 2023 “are principally larger and extra worthwhile than the others,” the article studies.
The “tepid bounce again” of merger and acquisitions work might be affecting wage selections, Bloomberg Legislation says. Though deal work at corporations elevated almost 19% for the primary half of 2025, the rise is decrease than anticipated, the article says.
Within the present local weather, many corporations are “trying to preserve down prices and juice earnings because the recruiting focus stays on high-end companions at main corporations,” the article says.
That comes at a price for associates. Affiliate hiring is down 5.9% for the primary quarter of 2025, in comparison with the identical time final yr.
Hat tip to Above the Legislation.
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