Lawyer Pay
Is this the year for associate raises?
Law firm associates hoping for a bump in the salary scale this year may have to keep waiting. (Image from Shutterstock)
Law firm associates hoping for a bump in the salary scale this year may have to keep waiting, according to a recruiter who spoke with Bloomberg Law.
Ru Bhatt, a recruiter with legal recruiting firm Major Lindsey & Africa, doesn’t think that there will be raises to base pay this year. But the outlook isn’t all bad—bigger annual bonuses could still be on the table at top firms, Bhatt told Bloomberg Law.
“It is up to these partners to decide: Am I willing to forgo some of my comp to keep associates happy or to attract the right types of associates?” Bhatt said.
The current salary scale for associates at many large firms ranges from $225,000 to $435,000 after the last raises to base pay announced in 2023.
But not everyone in BigLaw is getting that amount. The firms paying the rates announced in 2023 “are mostly bigger and more profitable than the others,” the article reports.
The “tepid bounce back” of merger and acquisitions work could be affecting salary decisions, Bloomberg Law says. Although deal work at firms increased nearly 19% for the first half of 2025, the increase is lower than expected, the article says.
In the current climate, many firms are “looking to keep down costs and juice profits as the recruiting focus remains on high-end partners at leading firms,” the article says.
That comes at a cost for associates. Associate hiring is down 5.9% for the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year.
Hat tip to Above the Law.
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