It’s been three weeks since the latest edition of the associate salary wars began, thanks to a raise announcement by Milbank. While in the past, when one Biglaw firm announces across the board salary hikes the rest of the market has been quick to respond, that has not been the case this time around. Yes, some firms have matched the new compensation scale, but large swaths of the industry seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach.
At least one Biglaw firm is done with the waiting. Choate, a firm that took in 274,746,000 in gross revenue in 2020 making it #119 on the Am Law 200, put their associates out of the salary limbo and announced raises. The new scale — retroactive to January 1 — mimics the one set by Milbank last month.
The new salary scale at the firm is as follows:
The firm also announced raises for its patent agents and staff scientists, the scale for which can be found on the next page.
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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).
